


Operation: Zutara

by DT_Mars



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2018-07-13 01:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 109,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7132757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DT_Mars/pseuds/DT_Mars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone could see that those two were in love with each other. Everyone except for them, of course. So, Toph takes the initiative and fills in for Cupid to give them a little push and Aang just tags along for the ride.</p><p>(This story is a result of a prompt that I was given by a fellow author, Jhelle.)</p><p>I'm also now on tumblr! Just search me up under the username "dt-mars" and boom! There I am.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

Operation: Zutara — Introduction

**_._ **

"Want to get in trouble with me, Carlos?"

― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

**_._ **

It never made any sense to Toph how people could just beat around the bush so easily, as if it were normal. Discussing a problem without _actually_ discussing the problem at hand and purposely evading a solution was _not_ normal. It simply prolonged the situation and made things harder than they needed to be. There was nothing even _remotely_ normal about beating around the bush, and even the phrase gave that away! Who the hell just went around beating so many bushes that a phrase had to be coined?

But the actual idea of beating around bushes, it just wasn't sound. Nothing about it even _seemed_ sane. Nothing about it made any sense, not at all, and this _bothered_ Toph. She approached every single one of her problems head-on and directly, because the longer one stalled, the longer the problem and situation would drag on—and who had the _time_ for that? The most obvious solution would obviously be to _not beat around the bush_. Tackle that problem and move on with your life. Get shit done. And to see others actively avoiding such a simple solution with her own eyes...

Toph was absolutely disgusted.

But she couldn't look away for the life of her.

For the past two hours, she had been forced to watch the very act of 'beating around the bush.' Okay, fine. So she hadn't been _forced_ (not technically, anyway), but she honestly couldn't look away because these two... They were _good_ at it. Like, _really_ good. It was almost like a train wreck. A really attractive one, topped with pretty hair. One would think that they had taken a class on beating around the bush with the way they were going at it—and it was making Toph's eyes burn with revulsion. The worst part of it all was that the two culprits were two of her closest friends, and they were making it blatantly obvious that they had a thing for each other.

And Toph was sitting right in the middle of it all. Literally. In the back of a freaking tea shop.

The only reason Toph had come to this tea shop in the first place was to meet up with Katara. The older woman offered to help her study for her anatomy test, and who wouldn't accept an offer like that from a nurse in training? Toph just didn't count on Zuko being there. Yes, this was his uncle's establishment, but the pretty boy was interfering with her study time.

Zuko raised a hand to comb his fingers through his hair, and the alarms immediately began to sound off inside of Toph's head. Nothing good would come from that subtle hair comb, because nothing good _ever came_ from one of his stupid hair combings! All they brought were giggles and red faces and even more beating around the bush that Toph would no longer stand to watch!

"I'm going to get a drink," Toph mumbled underneath her breath as she scrambled to shut her textbook as quickly as she possibly could. Not that her two friends would notice, anyway. She tucked the book underneath her arm, stuck her pen right into the messy bun that sat on the nape of her neck, and slung her backpack over her shoulder as she stood to make her escape to the front counter. "Or something."

A low whistle sounded off behind her as she walked, prompting her to spin around to find the culprit. It was none other than Aang returning from making one of his table wiping rounds with a towel in hand. There was an impish smile on his face as he walked past her and through the double doors on the side of the counter, allowing him to resume his post as the barista.

He slung the towel over his shoulder before resting his elbows onto the counter. His smile grew. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to finally get up and leave those two."

"Twinkletoes!" she breathed out as she rushed for the counter. Relief immediately began to flood and overtake her senses, because this was a face that she needed to see: the best friend that she'd ever had ever since she had been three and he, four. "I've never been so happy to see you! I could just kiss you right now!"

Aang's face immediately brightened as he grinned. He blinked, then his smile fell as his brows knitted with disappointment. "I'm your best friend. How have you never been happy to see me?"

Toph snorted as she took a seat on a stool and set her textbook onto the counter. "Relax, baldy. I said that I've never been _so_ happy to see you, not that I've _never_ been happy to see you."

He crossed his arms. "That's not any better, you little brat."

"Hey, I'm not little, I'm—"

"Fun sized," they both said together before he continued. "I know. Everyone knows."

There was a pause.

"You're still a brat."

Toph rolled her eyes in annoyance, but a light chuckle did escape her. She couldn't stay mad at him for long; not seriously, anyway. "Hi, Twinkles."

His grin returned, the curving of his mouth as bright and warm as it always was. "Hey, T."

"I didn't know that you would be working today," she commented off-handedly.

"Yeah, well, there's a reason for that," he started with a sigh. He grabbed the towel from over his shoulder and began to wipe the counter down, most likely to give off the impression that he was working diligently. When he looked from side to side, this confirmed the suspicion. He met Toph's eyes. "Iroh has been complaining about you. He says that you're a distraction."

Toph simply scoffed. "That old man loves me. And besides, if anyone's a distraction, it's his nephew, Princess Glitter-Butt."

Aang laughed, doubling over a bit as he did so. "A new nickname, huh? What did Zuko do this time?"

"What _didn't_ he do this time?" she declared as she slammed her hands onto the counter with a groan. "The only reason I'm here and not tucked into my bed, taking a well deserved nap, is because I need to study. Katara volunteered to help me study for this anatomy test coming up this week, but then Princess Fire-Brains showed up and threw all of her concentration off! I mean, how hard is it to tell someone that you like them? 'Hi, I'm Katara. Hey, I'm Zuko. Wanna bang?' They're _old_ , they should already know how to do this!"

The two friends turned their attention onto Zuko and Katara.

Zuko combed his fingers through his hair.

Katara said something that an onlooker could only guess was _funny_ with the way that Zuko just laughed.

They both turned red.

Toph sneered. "Dis— _gusting_."

"Huh," Aang spoke with an air of admiration. "Zuko's skin tone is already naturally on the reddish side. It's pretty impressive how she can get him a little redder than normal. I wonder if Iroh will say that Katara's a distraction."

Toph met his eyes with a laugh. " _Twinkletoes_ , I'm distressed here. Don't make me laugh."

He shrugged as that impish quirk touched his lips again as he slowed his wiping down just a bit. "I can't help that I'm a natural born comedian. But you can't really blame those two for skirting around their feelings like this. They've known each other for such a long time, and that probably makes it all feel so new to them—"

" _Yawn_."

"—and not everyone is as reckless as Toph Beifong—"

"Everyone should be as reckless as Toph Bei—"

"—besides, what are _you_ going to do?" he continued with a dismissive laugh. "Play Cupid?"

Toph arched a brow, mouth open and all.

The smile on Aang's face slowly began to fade away and the counter wiping came to an immediate halt. He swallowed and looked around before bracing his hands onto the counter and leaning into her space. He shook his head a bit desperately. "T. _Please_."

She ignored that. Playing Cupid? That had to be the best idea Aang had ever come up with in the sixteen years she had known him. Matchmaking had never been her area of expertise, but it wasn't like pairing those two idiots together would be _hard_. They were already paired up, so all the hard work was done and over with. All she had to do was give them a little _push_ and get them to finally admit their feelings for each other.

"Like Cupid."

Aang's head fell forward as he looked to the ground. " _Toph_. I am _begging_ you. Zuko is twenty-four and Katara is twenty-two. They are old enough and more than capable of taking care of something like this by themselves."

Toph grinned at the top of his head as the motors in her brain began to churn. There was no turning back now that he had put the idea into her head, and she was sure that he knew it. "Twinkles, Princess Sparkly-Pants is _twenty-four_ and Katara is _twenty-two_ , and they still can't get their act together. We have every right to get into their business and _play Cupid_."

Aang immediately looked up to meet her eyes. "You can't use my words against me like that."

She snorted. "Says who?"

"Says _me_!"

" _You're_ the one who gave me this idea!"

"I didn't think that you'd go this far with it!"

"Oh, what did you expect?!"

Aang watched her carefully, his fingers gripping and ungripping the edge of the counter. He released a slow sigh through his nostrils. "I can _see_ those wheels turning inside that pretty little head of yours. You're more trouble than you're worth, you know that?"

Toph grinned. That was what he always said before giving in. "I'm a girl. It's my job."

He bit the inside of his cheek, and it became quite clear that he was fighting a smile off. As much as he liked to chastise his best friend for being so reckless and troublesome, they both knew that he could be just as bad whenever he wanted to be. His eyes observed the area around them before he released his grip on the counter and stood up straight. He tapped the tip of her nose and pointed at her textbook.

"I'll help you study once I clock out."

"Which is?"

"Ten minutes."

"And then, _Operation: Zutara_ is a go?"

His face scrunched up in disbelief. "You already came up with a name? For both the couple and _this_? And it's an _operation_? T., we're not the CIA!"

"You're right. We're better."

" _Toph_!"

She laughed at his dismay. Honestly, he made messing with him so much fun. "Come on, you're my best friend. If you're not my partner in crime, who else would be able to take your spot? And _live_?"

They watched each other, the sounds of the tea shop fueling their staring match before Aang finally conceded with a sigh.

"Then, _Operation: Zutara_ is a go."

"You're the best."

"You're _trouble_."

Toph simply laughed as Aang continued to fight the smiles away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You're more trouble than you're worth."
> 
> "I'm a girl. It's my job."
> 
> — Tamora Pierce, Street Magic


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm now on tumblr! Just search for the username "dt-mars," and BOOM! There I am.

_**A/N:**_ Hello all! It's been a while! I'm so sorry to announce this after an impromptu hiatus, but unfortunately, I've lost every bit of inspiration I once possessed for this story. I can't say that I won't be updating ever again, but at the moment, it really seems unlikely. I'm so sorry to everyone who was into this story! Thank you for all of your support during my time using this account! You guys are the best!

Because I won't be updating this story in the future (most likely), I will be reposting the chapters that I'd previously deleted. Thank GOD I saved them, haha!

* * *

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Two

.

"Houston, we have a problem."

― James Lovell

.

During her senior year, Toph had been granted a scholarship to study Architecture in college. Of course, she accepted it wholeheartedly - after all, she loved to build, sculpt, and draw, and she did it all flawlessly. Her first year of college had been a rude awakening. She had made friends and adapted well into the environment, but the problem lied with the classes that she took. Apparently, in college there were _other_ courses to take in order to _become_ an architect. The one class that she loathed the most was History.

_"Seriously, who cares about the history of Architecture,"_ she asked once. _"It's here now, isn't it?"_

Nevertheless, Toph endured through the class and passed. Now that she was beginning her second year, the Architecture program had become even more difficult, as expected. Which meant more classes to study for. Toph wasn't very good at studying, no matter how many of those stupid tutors her parents hired for her had trained her. So, Katara always helped her out. In fact, this was part of the reason why Toph moved in with her when she started college. Other than the money factor, which Toph could obviously take care of, living with Katara would be like living with a nanny, tutor, and friend, but without all of the hassle. Katara was an A-plus student and extremely attentive. Except for whenever Zuko was around.

It was embarrassing how her attention span just dropped when he showed up. Which was why she wasn't able to help Toph study for that test she had last week. It really was all his fault. Katara would throw Zuko under the bus to evade Toph's wrath - straight faced and all. For such a small woman, she was extremely intimidating.

Katara trailed behind Toph as if she was a lost puppy. "Toph, I'm so sorry."

Toph didn't look over her shoulder. She didn't need to. The older woman had been following her around their apartment all morning and through the afternoon attempting to apologize. Thank goodness the apartment was a good size - she was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic. "Shut up, Katara."

Katara shook her head when they entered the kitchen. "I mean it. It'll never happen again."

Katara wasn't a liar, but that was a lie and they both knew it. "You're only saying that because he's not here to cloud your judgement."

The _'he'_ didn't need to be clarified.

Katara felt her face reddening. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but to feel guilty. Toph was like a baby sister to her - an extremely violent, sarcastic, and sharp tongued baby sister. "No, I mean it."

Toph regarded her. Katara did look guilty. She would let her off this time. "Don't worry. I passed without you."

Katara's eyes lit up. "You passed?"

Toph nodded with a grin. She wasn't angry anymore. Now, she wanted to brag. "By definition, to pass is to be successful in an examination, test, or course. So, yes. I passed the test."

The older woman laughed. Hearing Toph quote dictionaries when she couldn't study for tests had always been ironic to her. Then again, this was probably the doing of the tutors her parents hired for her. "See, you can do it all by yourself."

She snorted. As if. "Aang helped me."

Katara raised a brow. She didn't doubt it. She actually wanted to ask Toph what she used to blackmail him into helping her study, but Aang was always willing and ready to help anyone. Especially if that 'anyone' was his best friend. "Oh, really?"

Toph nodded. "I don't need you," she said as she grabbed an apple. "Your abandonment showed me the light."

Katara's face grew a bit red again when Toph laughed and walked into the living room. "It won't happen again," she seethed as she followed after Toph. "When's your next test? I'll help you study right now!"

Toph's laughter intensified as she sat on a couch. That wouldn't be happening and she knew it. At least, today it wouldn't be happening because Katara had a date. Aang had told her so just last night.

_"Tall one to midget," Aang's voice sounded through her phone. "I repeat, tall one to midget."_

_Toph rolled her eyes as she laid in bed. For someone who was trying so hard to resist the idea of this operation, he sure got into it pretty quickly. They weren't even speaking through walkie-talkies. "I'm not a midget. By definition, a midget is-"_

_"An extremely or unusually small person," he completed for her. "Yeah, I know."_

_She grinned to herself. She wasn't surprised that he finished for her. He was always calling her a midget and she was always correcting him. "Bravo."_

_"Whatever," he snorted. "You've got to admit that it's catchy."_

_She thought for a moment. It was pretty catchy. "If I'm 'midget', then you have to be 'baldy'."_

_"T.," he whined._

_"You're whining," she whined back._

_There was a pause._

_"Fine." The annoyance was evident in his voice. "But, only because I've got some useful information for you."_

_"Spill."_

_"Zuko asked Katara out. On a date."_

_Toph sat up. "No, he didn't. We didn't even begin our first mission, yet. How did he do it without our help?"_

_"Not sure," he sighed. It sounded like a sigh of relief. "I guess this means that they don't need our help after all-"_

_"When is it?"_

_She could feel him hesitating. "Tomorrow. At five."_

_"We need to be there and monitor this."_

_There was a pause._

_"You need a life."_

_"I'm living, aren't I?"_

_Aang scoffed. "You don't even know where it's going to be!"_

_She smirked and she was sure that he would be able to hear it over the phone. "Don't you worry your shiny, little head about that-"_

_"Hey!"_

_"-I'll get that information from Sugarqueen myself."_

_He sighed. Obviously, there really was no turning back. "Your name isn't Cupid, T."_

_She laughed at this. "You're the one who came up with it, you bald freak."_

_"I didn't think that you would take it seriously, you inattentive midget!"_

_"Ooh, aren't you bold today?"_

_"You're such a nuisance."_

_"Look who's talking."_

_"You love me, though."_

_A pause._

_"Ew."_

_This time, he laughed and she smiled at the sound. No matter how much they insulted each other, they would just end up laughing. "_ _Baldy, out."_

"My next test is in two weeks," Toph answered.

Katara nodded determinedly. "Alright, go get your books. We'll start now. What did you get on that last test?"

"100 percent."

Huh, Aang did a good job. But, Katara would do better. She began pacing. She was entering study mode. "You're going to get a 115. Go get your books."

Toph checked her phone. As much as she would have loved to study - note the sarcasm - she needed to get Katara on this date. It was 4:30. Apparently, Toph's dilemma had caused her to completely forget about her date. Toph felt a bit proud of herself. This was Zuko she just managed to distract Katara from. "Thanks, but no thanks. It's almost five."

Katara immediately stopped in her pacing. "What did you just say?"

Toph bit back a smirk. She really had forgotten. "I said that it's almost five. 4:30 to be exact. I feel like taking a nap."

Katara shook her head and hid her face in her hands. "I can't help you study. Not today."

"Oh?" Toph raised a brow and bit into her apple. "Why not?"

"I'm going somewhere."

"Where?"

Katara flushed. That was when she began making her escape near the stairs. "Out. With a friend."

Toph followed her. "Is this friend Zuko?" She already knew that it was. Messing with Katara was just entertaining.

There was a pause.

"Toph-"

"The ever elusive Princess Zuko manages to swipe Katara from me once again."

"Don't call him that."

Toph smirked.

Katara rolled her eyes and made it up one stair. "This is the last time. Promise."

"That's what you said, literally, five minutes ago." Katara looked torn and extremely guilty. So, Toph sighed with a smile. "Is this a date?"

"No," Katara said a bit unconvincingly as she made it up another stair. "Just two friends. Going out. Enjoying each other's company."

Toph just remembered that she didn't answer the question as to where they would be. How else was she going to be able to spy- _monitor_ their date if she didn't have this information? "Where's he taking you?"

"The Northern Lights."

Toph's smile grew into a grin. The Northern Lights wasn't just some regular place that Katara was trying to make it out to be. It was a five star, seafood restaurant that opened up two years ago, meaning that it was still fresh. And expensive. This was definitely first date material. Zuko actually did well. After about a year or two, that is. "This _is_ a date. A _hot_ one, isn't it?"

"Oh, look at the time," Katara laughed out as she looked at her wrist. She didn't notice that it was bare. "I'm going to be late!" With that, she made her escape up the stairs and shut a door.

Toph waited a few moments before she heard the sound of a shower running. She threw the apple over her shoulder and it landed with a _thud_ before it rolled off somewhere. Katara would complain about it pretty soon - she was the cleaner of the house - but, she would thank Toph for it. After all, she was working to hook Zuko and Katara up. With that, Toph picked her phone up and dialed a number.

_"Midget,"_ he greeted.

"Baldy, you ready for our first mission?"

A sigh. _"Did you get the place?"_

"Yeah, he's taking her to the Northern Lights."

_"Wow,"_ Aang sounded impressed. _"I really don't think that they need our help."_

Toph shook her head, even though he couldn't see it. "I'm telling you. They need us." The shower stopped and she checked the time. 4:40. She was being quick. "Meet me there in ten minutes."

_"We're wearing black, right?"_

An eyebrow jumped. She wasn't even thinking of that. "You were born for this. Don't fight the feeling, Aang."

_"Shut up."_ The smile could be heard in his voice. _"Baldy, out."_

Bring friends with Toph was taxing, both physically and mentally. Not only was she demanding, but she could be extremely manipulative when necessary. Which never really worked in the favor of the other party involved - who was almost always Aang. After all, this was his best friend and he was the only one who knew how to handle her. If he didn't put up with her, he was convinced that things would have been much more dangerous for whoever would have taken his place. The saint in him wouldn't have been able to bear the guilt.

That was still no excuse for him to be sneaking into a five star restaurant in all black to spy - oh, excuse him - " _monitor"_ two of his friends' date. He was even wearing one of those stupid hats with the fake leaves on top of them. He didn't want to know how she managed to get ahold of one of those things - he didn't even think that they actually existed since he had only ever seen them in movies and cartoons.

When he and Toph settled themselves behind a row of bushes, he took out his binoculars. Thank goodness Zuko and Katara were eating outside; that made it easier to spy on their date. Yup, he was admitting that they were spying. She obviously couldn't, so he would do it for her. In his head, that is. "You'd be lost without me. You know that, right?"

Toph's hand immediately found a place over his mouth, smothering his muffled insults. "Do you want to get caught?"

He bit her palm, prompting her to snatch her hand away with a glare. Served her right. "Yes, I do. Maybe then, you'll learn to stay out of people's private affairs."

"It's not private when it interferes with my grades."

"Oh please, I got you a 100."

"Katara says that she can get me a 115."

"You ungrateful, midget brat."

"That big, bald head of yours is filled with nothing but air, I suppose."

"I'll get you a 130 on the next one."

"Doubt it."

"I swear, I'll step on you-"

She punched him square across the jaw before her other hand swiftly made it's way over his mouth to cover his groans. They really were too immature for their age and their own good. She grinned at his glare and removed her hand before he could bite her again. "You're going to get us caught, Cupid number two."

He was about to ask and argue on why he was number two. Then, he shook his head. She would probably relate it to poop or something. "Why couldn't you just reserve us a spot? You've got money."

"Where's the fun in that?"

He looked at her to find her grinning from ear to ear. She was so much trouble, but she already knew that and there was no point in arguing this fact with her. So, he looked back at the crowd through his binoculars and ignored her sniggers. "I see them."

At his words, Toph took out her own pair of binoculars and spotted Zuko and Katara. Her grin widened. "Katara looks hot. No wonder Zuko can't ever function around her."

Aang smiled with a nod when the couple sat. "They look fine. We should leave."

Toph shook her head as she watched them. Something was wrong. Zuko and Katara were fine, the restaurant was fine, and they had a polite waiter. It might have been her woman's intuition - the little inkling of it that she had - but, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Or would be wrong. "We're staying. Something's up."

Aang's gaze on the couple narrowed. Everything looked fine to him. "What are you talking about- Wait, who's that guy?"

"What guy?"

"That guy over there."

Toph looked at him, then at the direction he was looking at. She fixed the focus on her binoculars. "He looks familiar."

Aang nodded. "Yeah, he does. He kind of looks like Sokka."

Toph looked at the man a bit more before she nodded. "It _is_ Sokka. He looks different."

Aang grinned. "I think he's been working out. He looks like his dad."

Toph's eyebrow quirked. Sokka and Katara's father was a handsome man. In other words, Sokka was actually hot. How weird was that? She resisted the urge to shudder at the verity of a hot Sokka. "What's he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be studying abroad or something?"

Soon after she said this, a young woman stepped in and sat at Sokka's table. He was on a date.

"Wait, is that Suki?" Toph asked.

Aang nodded. "Everyone's on a date except for us."

"Don't tell me you're feeling left out."

"Now that you mention it-"

"Oh, brother."

"-This could be our special date."

"You're so annoying-"

"I mean, we've got candlelight, music, and a beautiful view of the sky."

Toph grinned to herself as she shook her head. It wasn't the first time that they spoke about dating each other. It was always a joke between them that if they both weren't married by a certain age, they would marry each other. "Too bad we had to sneak in, right?"

He shrugged. "The food might be an issue, but we could sneak into the kitchen, as well."

There was a pause.

"That fish does look pretty good."

They both grinned before Aang spoke. "Look," he said as he picked a flower from a bush. "I even got you a rose."

"Don't insult me with that lily."

He chuckled and placed the flower behind her ear. "Don't you look pretty?"

She brushed that off. He always complimented her. The compliments started when they were eight and Aang's mother convinced him that giving Toph compliments would solidify their relationship as best friends. Well, his mother was right. The next day, he called her pretty and she beat him up for it, simply because she was too tough to be pretty. In the end, Aang continued to spill out compliments just because he got a kick out of seeing her all red and angry like that - no matter how many bruises he came home with. However, over the years, she grew used to them and it had become a staple in their friendship. "As if I need you to tell me how pretty I am."

He snorted. Toph never was the humble type. Even when her parents tried to force the cockiness out with classes on etiquette, their plans backfired and she seemed to get worse. It was the Beifong pride, she would always use as an excuse.

He looked back into his binoculars. "Look, Sokka and Zuko are reuniting."

Toph nodded to herself. Sokka and Zuko always butted heads when they were younger, but the brotherly love was always present. This reunion was heart warming- "Oh my gosh, did Sokka just push him?"

At that moment, Zuko pushed him back and Toph read his lips as saying, _"What's your problem?"_

"I told you that something was up," she murmured to herself when Zuko threw a punch. "Bob and weave, Princess. You're on a hot date!"

"It's about to go down," Aang spoke in a deep, announcer's voice.

"In this corner, we've got Princess Zuko."

"And in the other corner, we've got Captain Beefcake." Aang winced when a waiter got in the way of their fight. "Ouch."

Toph's eyes looked to the food being wasted and thrown around, the flipped table, and the fighting men before they flickered to every person involved. It was funny at first, but now she realized that this was putting her whole operation in jeopardy. No, this was ruining everything. _Sokka_ was ruining everything and in turn, ruining _Operation: Zutara_.

She almost stood to break up the fight. In fact, the only reason that she didn't do this was because she didn't want to expose Aang, herself, and the operation. It was safe to say that Sokka didn't want to see his baby sister dating Zuko How was Toph supposed to be bringing people together if an overbearing older brother was in the way and destroying opportunities?

When Suki stood to pull Sokka away from Zuko and Katara stood to berate her older brother, Aang spoke the words that would ring true for the remainder of their operation.

"Houston, we have a problem."


	3. Chapter 3

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Three

.

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it."

― Mark Twain

.

_Aang had known Toph since he was born. Literally. They shared diapers, cribs, and even took baths together. One would say that he had known her for a long time, but he was only four. Although, he was turning five pretty soon, so that counted for something. Right?_

_"Aang," his mother said as she took his hand into hers. "Let's hurry, huh? We'll be late."_

_With a smile, he let his mother lead him into the Beifong estate. The Beifongs had a huge house - mansion, even. That was really the only reason he liked visiting there. Their daughter, Toph, was..._ okay _, but she was weird. For a girl, that is. Not only was she extremely tiny, but she was also loud and obnoxious. Weren't girls supposed to be soft, nice, and giggly? Toph was also tougher than any boy he knew._ _Sometimes, Aang thought that she was tougher than his father. She didn't even like pink - she liked_ green _. Anytime he told his parents this, they always laughed._

_The large door opened and Aang craned his neck to look up at Toph's father, Mr. Beifong. He was a very serious man. Maybe that was where Toph got her toughness from. Nevertheless, he and his wife were good friends with his parents and he was nice to Aang, so he liked him._

_"Ah, we've been expecting you, Gyatso," Mr. Beifong said with a small smile. With that, he stepped aside to let the small family into the house._

_Aang didn't pay much attention to the small talk that transpired between his parents and Mr. Beifong. He thought that he heard Mr. Beifong mention something about the "the hassles of having to answer doors when the butler is out", but he wasn't sure. He didn't care anyway because he was distracted by the huge house. No matter how many times he visited the house, he never ceased to be amazed. How could one family live in a house like this?_

_"Aang," his father brought him out of his thoughts with a gentle smile. "Why don't you go play with Toph? Your mother and I are going to be busy."_

_Aang made a face. He was never one to shield his emotions, but he consented with a nod and his mother led him to the door of the playroom. "Moooooom," he whined once they arrived._

_His mother looked amused. "Aaaaaang," she echoed as she knelt in front of him to meet his eyes. "What's wrong?"_

_"I want to stay with you," he continued whining._

_The woman giggled a bit as she ruffled her son's bushy, brown hair and Aang swatted her hands away. "You're going to mess my hair up!"_

_A brow quirked. "Oh? Well, in that case, if you don't go into that playroom, I'll mess your hair up even more."_

_Aang crossed his arms as he regarded her. "No, you won't."_

_She raised a hand to his head with a grin and he flinched. "Try me."_

_The woman drove a hard bargain. That meant that it was time to beg. "But, she's weird! She doesn't even like pink! She's not a_ real _girl! What if she's an alien?!"_

_His mother scoffed a bit and ruffled his hair again. "What did I tell you about saying stuff like that?"_

_Aang swatted his mother's hand away frantically. "One color doesn't belong to one gender! Okay! Okay! Just leave my hair alone!"_

_She laughed and he smiled at the sound. His mother loved to tease him, but he would always love his mother. He was a momma's boy and proud of it._

_A sigh escaped her lips as she fixed her son's hair. "Do you know what my favorite color is?"_

_"Gray," he answered automatically._

_She nodded. "Does that mean that I'm not a girl?"_

_Aang shrugged, confused. "You're a mommy. Not a girl."_

_His mother sighed once again, albeit a bit more exasperated. "Toph will be a good lesson for you." She kissed him on the forehead and led him into the playroom._

_Aang looked up at her. "What's that mean?"_

_His mother smiled and tugged at his hair, to which he frantically slapped her hands away. "Hello, Toph," she greeted cheerily._

_Toph, sitting in the middle of the large playroom beside herself, ceased playing with her toys for a moment. Aang would never get over how tiny she was. She was turning four, wasn't she supposed to grow already? To make matters worse, she wasn't even playing with dolls - she was playing with_ blocks _. Blocks!_

_Toph smiled and waved. "Hi!"_

_Aang's mother took his hand and tugged him forward. "Say "hello", Aang."_

_"Hi," he grumbled._

_Toph's smile dropped. "Hey."_

_Aang's mother snorted. For two four year olds, they sure had a lot of tension between them. "_ _Have fun!" With that, she stepped out of the room and shut the door._

_Aang stuck his tongue out at the closed door before he turned around and found Toph playing with her blocks again. Geez, what kind of girl was she?_

_She looked at the blocks in her hands before she threw them aside. "Wanna play something?"_

_Aang felt a grin growing. As weird as Toph was, she knew how to have fun. Plus, she had lots of toys. "Sure!"_

_"How about-"_

_"No. Let's play-"_

_"Nuh-uh! We're going to play-"_

_"No, we're not!"_

_Needless to say, they weren't always on the same page, either. Aang tapped his chin as he thought of a game to play. He was older, so he was supposed to be good with thinking about this stuff. He couldn't let a younger_ girl _tell him what to do. "Let's play house!"_

_Toph made a face and looked a bit taken back. "House? How do you play that?"_

_"We have to be a family. You be the mom, I'll be the dad, and uhm..." He looked around and found a large stuffed bear. He picked the bear up and almost tipped over at the size before he set it down with a triumphant grin and grunt. "This'll be our baby!"_

_Toph didn't look impressed, but she did look bored. So, she shrugged with a nod. "Okay, let's play house."_

_Aang nodded, grin still intact. "Now, we need to build the house."_

_So, they built the house using the cushions, pillows, and blankets around them. It was a bit of a daunting task considering how small Toph was, but she was strong for her size and determined. Soon enough, they finished the house._

_Aang considered the house before he nodded. It was good. Now, they could play. He made his way to the makeshift door and turned to her. "Now, you stay here. I'm going to go to work."_

_Toph stood abruptly. "Why do I have to stay here? I want to go to work, too."_

_Aang almost screamed. She was so weird! "Mommy's aren't supposed to go to work. They stay home and take care of the house and baby."_

_Toph didn't like that idea. That angry look on her face told him so. "Says who?!"_

_"Says me!"_

_"Well, I'm not staying home! I'm going to work, too!"_

_"Then, you're not a real girl!"_

_"My mommy's a real girl! She goes to work!"_

_"Well, my mommy doesn't go to work!"_

_"Your mommy's not a girl! She's a lazy butt!"_

_Aang gasped as Toph grinned. "I knew you were weird!"_

_Toph stomped a foot. "Well, you're stupid!"_

_"You're tiny!"_

_"You have ugly hair!"_

_"You're not a real girl!"_

_"You're a sissy momma's boy!"_

_They glared at each other before charging at the other. Now, Aang had never been one to fight - especially, not with girls. This was just the way that his parents had raised him. But, Toph wasn't really a girl. So, he fought back just as hard. Which was pretty hard because she was a scrapper._

_"Stupid boy!" she grunted out as she tugged at his hair. "What kind of girl just sits home all day watching a stinky baby?!"_

_"What kind of girl doesn't?!" he yelled back as they rolled on the floor._

_"You're so stupid!"_

_"You're stupider!"_

_"Your hair's ugly!"_

_"You're tiny!"_

_Eventually, their small lungs gave out on them and they set the fighting aside to lay on the soft carpet of the playroom. Aang's chest heaved. As if Toph wasn't weird enough, she fought like a boy, too - even better._ _For some reason, he grinned at that. Suddenly, he was fine with Toph not wanting to take orders from him. It was also fine that she wasn't like those pink, sparkling, and giggly girls on tv and in magazines. Those girls were kind of scary, anyway, now that he thought about it._

_He looked at her and his grin grew. She was different. "Wanna play another game?"_

_Toph looked at him with her own grin and a laugh. "Yeah."_

_That day, a four - going on five - year old Aang learned a lesson on women very early on. It wasn't right to categorize all women into one category as none of them were all the same. He also learned that Toph reminded him of his mother a bit - even if she didn't want to stay home and take care of the house and that big bear. He went home with scars that day and strangely enough, eager for his next playdate with Toph. That was the day that she became his best friend._

"Aang? _Aang!"_

Aang snapped out of his reverie, only to find Toph waiting for him with crossed arms. "What?"

"What do you mean "what"?" she asked. "We need to discuss our new plan of action since Sokka ruined our first mission, remember?"

Oh, yeah. Now, Aang remembered why he drowned her out. He had just clocked out of work and as soon as he was getting ready to go home, Toph showed up insisting that they needed to finish what Katara and Zuko started. Apparently, Sokka's interference was not something to be taken lightly. At least, not as lightly as he was taking it, but that was just according to Toph. Once again, he couldn't let her do this alone or else things wouldn't end well - for either of them. This was a case of guilt by association meaning that it wouldn't matter if he helped her or not. He would get in trouble merely because she was his best friend. Now, he was stuck at the teashop until they came up with a new plan of action.

He sighed with a shake of his head. "T., this isn't just us and Zutara anymore." He couldn't believe that he just said _that_. He almost gagged, but he endured. "Sokka, AKA, Katara's older brother and soon to be, Zuko's worst enemy, is now involved."

Toph seemed to be thinking over his words. "Then, we need to take care of Sokka."

"Right," he said with a nod before he stopped. "Wait, what?"

"He can't keep interfering with our missions, Aang."

"What are you saying?"

"We need to get rid of him."

Oh, that was enough of that. "Toph, we can't just kill Sokka off!"

Several people around them gave looks full of suspicion. Toph didn't notice. "I was just going to say that he needs to be distracted by something. Or someone. Namely, Suki if they really were on a date the other night."

Aang sighed in relief. "Okay, good."

"But, your idea _does_ sound better-"

" _Toph_."

She grinned mischievously. "You said it." Then, her smile dropped. "Speak of the devil."

Aang turned to find Sokka stepping into the teashop, only to be followed by a young woman. It was Koko. She was Aang's first and only serious girlfriend back in high school, but they broke up due to irreconcilable differences. In other words, she was crazy.

_"The name suits her well,"_ Toph said once.

Even Aang couldn't deny that. Especially since she refused to accept the fact that they had broken up and had taken to chasing him down whenever she could. She even transferred college campuses to keep tabs on him. He had actually managed to avoid her for a good while. Now, she was following Sokka into the teashop where he worked, undoubtedly, to find him.

Toph's grin returned a bit. "Your girlfriend's here."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"I missed her!" she continued, undeterred and with a smile.

It was safe to say that Toph found the whole situation funny. Aang immediately turned around and ducked when Koko began searching through the patrons. He glared at Toph. "Do you think she noticed me?"

She shrugged sympathetically. "Sorry, but that bald head of yours isn't exactly inconspicuous. Especially since Sokka's making his way over here. And she's following him."

Aang hid his face in his hands. Maybe this was like wildlife. Maybe if he stayed still, his predator wouldn't notice him.

"Hi, Aangy," a shrill voice greeted.

Unfortunately, human life was nothing like wildlife. Of course, Aang already knew this after countless times of dodging Koko. But, he liked to keep hope alive. With a sigh, he slid his hands off of his face and regarded Koko. "Hello, Koko."

Koko grinned and her breathing grew a bit heavy.

"Is she okay?" Toph asked him.

"Sorry," Sokka apologized sincerely. "I didn't know that she was following me. She's a bit stealthy."

Aang couldn't deny that, either. Koko would be the perfect CIA agent.

"Why are you apologizing?" Koko asked dramatically. "You just reunited me with my Aangy! I've lost sight of you for a couple of weeks, but have no fear. Dear Sokka has led me back to you. If I didn't know any better, I would think that you had been avoiding me, but that's silly!" she exclaimed with a wave of her hand and a giggle.

Sokka winced. "I am _so_ sorry."

Needless to say, Toph wasn't the only Sokka hater in the building at the moment.

As funny as Toph found the whole Koko situation, she couldn't just let Aang suffer. He was still her best friend. "Didn't Aang break up with you?"

Sokka coughed. That was Toph - short, sweet, and straight to the point.

Koko looked at her and narrowed her eyes. She had always held a personal vendetta against Toph, even while she was dating Aang. What kind of boyfriend put their best friend over their girlfriend? It wasn't that it was a competition between them, because it was obvious that Toph couldn't care less and all three of them knew it. Koko just couldn't lose Aang to her - especially if she was supposed to be his best friend.

She painted a smile on. There was no doubt it was for Aang's sake. "Hello, Tophy."

Toph twitched a bit at the nickname. "You didn't answer my question."

Koko hesitated for a bit before turning her nose up. "Technically, _we_ didn't break up. _He_ suggested that we take a break. _I_ didn't agree to those terms."

Sokka gave Aang a look of pity. This girl really was crazy. Maybe if he walked back out, she would follow him. But, she had finally found her ' _Aangy_ ', so that was unlikely.

Toph nodded. "Okay. I'm telling you now that you two are officially broken up."

Now that Toph had taken care of the hard part, Aang could step in. "Sorry, Koko, but-"

Koko slammed a hand onto the table they sat at, startling several customers. "And just who the hell are _you_ to declare something like that?!"

There was a pause.

"His girlfriend."

A record scratch could be heard somewhere in the background. But, it was masked by Aang choking on air.

Koko was infuriated. Like hell she was going to lose Aang to _Toph Beifong._ "Oh, please! As if you actually expect me to believe that!"

Toph quirked a brow. "Why wouldn't you?"

Koko looked her up and down. "Aangy would never go for a girl like _you_."

Toph stood with a gasp. What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean?! Sure, she was lying right through her teeth about this whole "relationship," but it was still insulting. Especially when it was coming from her best friend's crazy ex. "I'm a huge upgrade from you, _sweetheart_!"

Koko let out a gasp of her own. "Are not! Right, Aangy?!"

"Are too," Toph growled as she glared at Aang and he gulped. She didn't notice. "Right, _Aangy_?!"

Aang swallowed. He didn't want to be in the middle of this, but his crazy ex-girlfriend was arguing with his domineering best friend. Unfortunately, he _had_ to be in the middle of this. So, he would handle this as delicately as he could. "Uhm, you see, ladies, you're both beautiful in your own special and unique and individual and different-"

Koko crossed her arms and turned her nose up haughtily. "Ha! You two aren't together. He can't even confirm it."

" _He_ doesn't need to confirm it," Toph retaliated. "If _I'm_ telling you something, you'd better listen. _I'm_ telling you right now that we're together."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Prove it."

Aang looked between both ladies. This looked dangerous. "Now, ladies-"

Toph grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and kissed him full on the mouth before throwing him back onto his chair. "That's mine. Stay away."

Aang froze.

Sokka looked at him a bit worriedly. "Aang?"

Aang didn't answer. He was hung up on the fact that Toph - his best friend - had kissed him. It wasn't that she kissed him. It was just that she _kissed_ him. In other words, Toph was an _awesome_ kisser.

He giggled.

Koko gazed sadly at Aang's besmirched and swollen lips. "Oh, Aangy! Say it isn't so!"

Another giggle escaped Aang's lips. "T.," he giggled out. "Where'd you learn to kiss like that?"

Toph resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The things she did to save this guy and he was just ruining everything. "From you, _remember_? We kiss _all_ the time. You're my _boyfriend_."

Aang giggled again. "Whatever you say."

Toph shook her head, but there was a smile on her face. For someone so smart, he sure was an idiot. "You're so stupid. Should I call you "Giggly" from now on?"

"You can call me whatever you want," Aang giggled out as Toph rolled her eyes.

Koko looked between them before she huffed. Something was going on and she would find out. "You two are lying. I just know it. I don't know why you're lying to me-"

"Because you're crazy," Sokka coughed out.

"-But, I'm sure it's because of her influence," Koko continued, undeterred. "I'll save you from her! Don't you worry, Aangy." With that, she made her exit and left the teashop.

Toph sighed as she reclaimed her seat. "Now, back to business-"

Sokka held a hand up. "Wait, wait, wait. You just kissed him."

Aang's giggles intensified. "I know right?"

Sokka gave him a look. He wanted to catch up with them after Koko had left, but he couldn't now. Aang was all _gigglified_. "You can't just go back to being normal."

"Sure we can," Toph stated. "We're best friends."

"Duuuuuh," Aang giggled out.

Sokka studied Aang. Geez. "You can't just kiss like that like it's nothing."

"I already told you that we're best friends," Toph said with a shrug. "That's all it was: a kiss between best friends."

"Yeah," Aang giggled out. "Come on, Sokka. It's just a kiss between best friends."

Apparently, Aang was too giggly to participate in a civil conversation. So, Toph opted for just ignoring him. "Forget about that. I want to know what you were doing at the Northern Lights the other night."

Sokka shook his head. He wanted to go deeper into the previous topic, but he decided against it. Those two were best friends and had been best friends for sixteen years. It wasn't exactly surprising that they could kiss like that just to ward off a crazy ex-girlfriend. Their friendship ran deep. Then, Toph's words registered. "Wait, how did you know about that?"

"Katara told me."

Which was a lie. As soon as the disaster date ended and both couples were kicked out, Toph and Aang rushed to their respective homes. When Katara walked through the door and Toph asked her about it, she received a cold, "Sokka's an idiot." So, technically no one told Toph. But, it wasn't like anyone else besides Aang knew that.

Sokka shrugged and he pulled up a seat. "What's it to you what I was doing there?"

Aang had finally recovered from his gigglefest. "You're ruining everything," he said with a sigh.

"You okay now, _Giggly?"_ Sokka asked.

"Ha." He ignored his friend's grins. "Do you know how long Zuko and Katara have been beating around the bush and skirting around their feelings?"

"I didn't think that you cared for such things," Sokka said.

"I don't. But, _Toph_ does." He glared at her and she smiled. "That means that I'm roped into caring until they finally get together."

Sokka snorted. "You're whipped and you're not even together."

"I know right?"

"No, I'm not!"

Toph ignored that. "Katara wasn't too happy with your performance." Neither was she.

Sokka shrugged. "I'm just protecting my baby sister."

This time, Toph snorted. "From _Princess_?"

Aang laughed. "I think she's safe, Sokka."

Sokka rolled his eyes. He obviously thought differently. "Whatever. Word on the street is that he's taking her out again tomorrow."

Toph couldn't be too reliant on this information. "Who's your source?"

"Suki," he replied. "She and Katara were catching up and I guess, she let it slip."

Toph and Aang looked at each other. She would verify this information once she met up with Katara later on. "Are you going to be there," she asked.

"Of course," Sokka answered. "I need to spy on them."

Toph nodded. "Then, I need to go and make sure you don't mess things up again."

"Oh, really? You need a date to this kind of place, short stuff."

Toph's brow twitched. Did people think that it was okay to give her stupid nicknames at their whim now? "I heard you took Suki out when you showed up at their last date."

He nodded. "I'm taking her out again."

Aang made a face. "I'm not so sure that Suki would take too kindly to being used as a decoy."

"Her cable's been cut off," Sokka said.

A light bulb lit above Toph's head. So, Suki and Sokka were an item. Which meant that she would serve as the perfect distraction whenever the occasion arrived.

"So, who's your date?" Sokka asked. "You won't be able to find one by tomorrow."

As if that would be a problem. Toph sighed exaggeratedly. "Oh, woe is me," she beckoned. "I'm in dire need of a date for tomorrow-"

Before she could even finish, there were a number of young men, plus one woman, at their table.

Sokka started. "What the-!"

Toph looked at Aang and cleared her throat. "I _said_ that I'm in _dire_ need of a _date_ for tomorrow."

Aang nodded at a couple of the young men and raised a brow at the woman. They looked like good candidates and he was sure that Toph didn't swing that way, but he would have to interview them all. Thoroughly, of course.

Toph rolled her eyes. He was so slow. She couldn't go with any of those people because they weren't her partner in crime. Aang was the only one she could really go with to the restaurant for this operation. "For the love of- _Aang_ , I'm in need of a date. Do I need to kiss you again?"

He grinned with a slight giggle. "Is that a threat or a promise?" A couple more giggles escaped him.

Toph regarded him with a laugh of her own. She had to admit that it was pretty funny to see Aang all giggly like that. " _Aang_."

"Okay, okay." He sighed, but his grin remained. "T., will you go out with me tomorrow?"

Toph looked to Sokka. "What's the name of the place they're going to?"

Sokka debated against telling her. Then, because he was afraid of her (he was man enough to admit it), he resigned. "The Palace."

Toph looked back to Aang.

"T., will you go out with me to _the Palace_ , tomorrow," Aang corrected.

Toph looked at Sokka. "Why, I would love to go out with you to the Palace, tomorrow, Aang."

At this declaration, the young men and one woman standing by the table all left with a simultaneous groan. Sokka regained use of his brain and he glared at her. "Why do you want to go anyway?"

"To make sure you don't ruin everything," she answered.

Sokka studied her. What did that mean? "You're up to something."

Toph raised a brow. "Whatever do you mean, Sokka?"

There was a slight pause before Sokka finally spoke. "You said that I was ruining everything. What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means?"

"Toph, stay out of this."

Aang sighed forlornly. "That's what I said and look where I am now."

Sokka looked between them. Were they trying to _match make_ Zuko and his baby sister? "They're not going to be together!"

"That's what you think."

Sokka sputtered a bit before he stood. They _were_ trying to match make Zuko and his baby sister! "Whatever you're doing won't work."

Toph didn't reply to this. Instead, she offered him a sly grin, which only meant one thing: a challenge.

Sokka was never one to back down from a challenge; no one from their group of friends was. "Bring it on."

Toph nodded. "No problem."

He shook his head. "You're lucky that I have to be somewhere." With that, he turned to leave.

Aang rolled his eyes. As if the operation wasn't already tasking. Now, they had to counter Sokka's every move. It was a good thing that Toph was good with these kinds of things. "Are we making reservations this time?" he asked when Sokka was out of earshot.

"Of course," Toph replied with a grin when Sokka finally left the building. "I'm a Beifong."

 


	4. Chapter 4

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Four

.

"A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill."

― Robert A. Heinlein

.

Older brothers held certain responsibilities when concerning their younger siblings. Specifically, younger sisters. When it came to their younger sisters, older brothers entered a _"protect-from-every-boy-in-the-vicinity"_ mode. One was never sure if this mode was voluntary, or if it was spawned on by instinct like in the animal kingdom since boys already normally acted like animals. Their naturally animalistic nature seemed to grow even worse when it came to this. Especially, if their sister was as attractive as Katara was. Which was probably why Sokka qualified as the perfect older brother in regards to his younger sister's almost-relationship with Zuko.

The young man's attention span was usually only good for school and work - and even with those subjects, he couldn't focus properly - but, for some reason, he had no problems focusing on this. Sokka was fulfilling his older brother duties with _stunning_ precision. In other words, _Operation: Zutara_ was already on the verge of a collapse. Which was baffling to Toph because she and Aang had only completed one mission, for which, they only spied on their subjects. They hadn't even gotten seriously involved, yet. And for this reason, they needed to take this operation more serious and keep the enemy, A.K.A: Sokka, at bay.

If you couldn't already guess, all of these deductions were the property of Toph. Aang couldn't care less.

They were at her and Katara's apartment and Toph was holding a meeting regarding the "Sokka issue", as she affectionately named it. (She had a thing for nicknames and it got worse ever since this operation began.) They sat in the small study, each at a side of the table and Aang looked around. Huh, this really was a serious meeting. There were refreshments and snacks sitting on a small table off to the side and against the wall. She even had a clipboard in hand and a small notepad set in front of her on the table. Honestly, if she wasn't his best friend-

She held the clipboard up and regarded it. "Aang?"

"What?"

She didn't answer and kept her eyes on the clipboard.

Maybe, she didn't hear him correctly. "T., what is it?" he tried again.

When she didn't answer, he almost grew worried. _Almost_. Then, she tapped the clipbpard twice. "Are you-are you taking _attendance_?"

She nodded and tapped the clipboard, once again. "Yes, now answer to your name properly."

She couldn't be serious. "There's only two of us here!"

"It won't be an official meeting unless I take attendance!"

It seemed that with each passing day, she grew a bit crazier.

They glared at each other before she spoke. "Aang, are you present?"

He felt the urge to insult her or do something stupid and immature, just to spite her. Then, he relented. He was only in this to keep Toph out of trouble. Once that girl set her mind to something - especially, something as hands on as this - she would finish it. Successfully and with no loose ends. From the looks of it, they were _both_ already in trouble.

He sighed. "Present."

Toph showed him the blank clipboard with a grin. "I can't believe you actually did it."

"Are you kidding me?"

"You really are whipped."

He caught the smug tone in her voice. So what, if he was "whipped"? Which he wasn't. Besides, if he _was_ whipped, it couldn't be considered as a boyfriend-girlfriend type of whipped. It was more of a _best friend_ type of whipped. Or something. He pushed that thought aside. "I only did it so that we could start this stupid _meeting_."

With a nod, she set the clipboard down. "Right. We need to do something about Sokka. Quickly."

He shook his head with a sigh and set his chin in his palm. "We just saw him yesterday and that was when he told us about the date. What do you want to do?"

She shrugged with a bit of a frown. "I'm not sure. We need to do _something_ because that date is tonight."

He hated to see her frown. Maybe he could invest into this a little. "We can't use Suki to distract him."

"She'll be with him tonight," Toph finished for him.

"You can't kill him."

"Yeah, I'll go to jail."

"But, you are a Beifong."

"So, I can get bail money."

"It won't be worth it," Aang concluded. "As annoying as Sokka is, that's still Katara's older brother. She'll hate you and be devastated."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I can deal with her hating me. But, Zuko will be free to comfort her, which will lead to the solidification and admittance of their feelings for each other, meaning that _Operation: Zutara_ would be a success-"

"For the last time, we're not killing Sokka off," Aang said exasperatedly.

There was a smirk on her face before she shrugged. "Whatever. That doesn't change the fact that we need a plan of action for tonight."

His stomach turned at the words "plan of action". That had quickly become a coined phrase of hers. "He'll probably be countering each move full force."

"Especially, since he knows of our operation," she agreed.

"And because you challenged him."

"I couldn't resist."

He gave her a look before his eyes flickered up. "Hey."

Toph furrowed her eyebrows. Was he talking to her? She turned in her seat to find Zuko, himself, leaning on the doorframe. Geez, how long had he been standing there? She turned back to Aang. "How long has Princess been standing there?"

"Don't call me that!" Zuko sputtered out.

"How long has _Sparky_ been standing there?" she mended.

"Sparky" was a nickname that Zuko had gotten when they were younger due to his short temper. Aang had to admit that the older man had made huge progress and would, most likely, continue to progress, thanks to Katara. "Princess" was just because he was a bit prettier than other boys. Needless to say, Zuko hated both names.

Aang snickered a bit at Zuko's face in his hand and Toph's grin. "He just stepped in."

With a slight nod, she looked back to Zuko. As if this operation wasn't already at enough risk with Sokka. Toph couldn't have one half of Zutara knowing about this. "How much did you hear?"

Zuko lifted his face from his hand and quirked a brow. He looked at Aang, who shrugged, before meeting her eyes. "You spoke about how you couldn't resist something."

That was it? Toph looked at Aang and he nodded. Then, they were safe. With this small victory in mind, she turned back to Zuko with a glare. "Don't you knock?"

Zuko stepped forward and poked the bun sitting on top of her head. "You left the door open a crack, kid. I thought that this room was free game."

She slapped his hand away. "I'm not a kid. I'm nineteen."

"You're still younger than him," Aang offered thoughtfully.

Toph fought the urge to glare at Aang and he knew it. Instead of turning to fulfill the task, like all three of them knew that she itching to do, she kept her eyes on Zuko. It was weird to see him here. Ever since he and Katara had begun expressing their interests in one another, he had made it a point not to come over often - at least, not alone. It had something to do with honor, or _whatever_. "What are you doing here?"

He sighed a bit as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Katara and I are going to hang out."

As if they didn't know that. But, they would play stupid for the sake of this operation.

"Is this a date?" Aang asked.

Zuko hesitated. "No. We're just going as friends."

"Mh," Toph hummed out, not bothering to mask the fact that she didn't believe that for a second. She and Aang had a lot of work to do. "Where are you two going?"

"The harvest festival in town," Zuko answered.

That wasn't the answer that Aang expected, but he would roll with the punches. "Oh, really?"

Toph, however, wouldn't roll with anything. Don't get her wrong; she definitely _could_ roll with it - her name was Toph Beifong, after all. She could do anything. This just wasn't making any sense. Why were they going to a stupid harvest festival when they were supposed to be going to a stupid five-star restaurant? Did Sokka lie to her? "I heard from Sokka that you were going to the Palace."

Zuko actually laughed a bit. "He was misinformed. Deliberately."

Aang looked curious. Toph looked confused.

Zuko was amused, so he decided to answer. "After that whole debacle at the Northern Lights, Katara decided that she couldn't have something like that happen again. So, she met up with Suki the other day to catch up and "accidentally" let it slip that we would be going to the Palace. She begged Suki not to tell Sokka..." He trailed off with a mock sigh.

"She knew that Suki would tell him," Aang finished for him.

"She sent him on a goose chase," Toph supported and Zuko nodded.

Aang let the information settle in his brain. Katara deliberately sold herself out to double cross her brother. Toph turned to look at him and he knew that they were thinking the same thing: Katara was playing the game. Toph and Aang should have expected this. Katara wasn't stupid; this wasn't an amateur that they were dealing with. Which set their whole operation on another level.

Toph knew that she couldn't trust that idiot's information. She was so ready to show up at that restaurant and put the operation at risk for him. But, he was safe for now since he was redeemed from his liar role. Now, she just needed to confirm this new information. "I need to speak with Katara." With that, she stood and made her way out of the room.

The room was quiet.

"What were you two doing in here?" Zuko asked suspiciously after surveying the room. He set his eyes on the table of drinks and snacks.

"We were having a meeting," Aang answered. Zuko looked unconvinced and Aang had to admit that it was making him a bit uncomfortable. Was he going to ask what the meeting was about? "What?"

"She's not ugly, you know."

Not this. It all began when Toph and Aang were thirteen. Sixteen year old Zuko thought that they would have made the perfect match, but he would never say it in front of her. Thirteen year old Aang thought that he was being stupid. He was pretty sure that the older kids supposed to be smart or something. Toph was his best friend. So now, six years later, while Toph was out petitioning for Zutara, Zuko was also out petitioning for Aang to take his relationship with Toph to the next level. In other words, Taang, as Zuko affectionately called them when she wasn't in the room. It was a bit ironic now that Aang thought about it.

"Zuko," Aang said warningly.

Zuko chuckled with a shrug. "What? She's not. Some people might actually say that she's beautiful."

As if Aang didn't know how beautiful she was. Toph was his best friend, but he appreciated beauty. With a shake of his head, he covered his ears. He really shouldn't have been listening to such things. "I'm not listening."

Zuko shut his mouth and Aang waited a moment before putting his hands down with a sigh. He was safe.

"It's going to happen eventually," Zuko began once Aang's hands touched the table. "You two have known each other for so long. It's only a matter of time."

Aang covered his ears, once more. "Shut up."

"I don't hear you denying anything."

Unfortunately, Aang heard him. Zuko had given it up (the prospect of Toph and Aang being together) for a while, which Aang was obviously grateful for, but he wasn't going to ask why the older man had brought it back up all of a sudden. So, he dropped his hands from his ears. They weren't doing any good there, anyway. "You've obviously forgotten that Toph is my best friend and that because of this, I can kill you and make it look like an accident, like someone else did it, or a suicide."

Zuko's mouth clamped shut. This time, for good. Aang sighed in relief.

" _Aang_ ," Toph's voice bellowed out. " _Get your bald self out here!_ "

Immediately, Aang stood. Not because he was whipped, but because he needed to get out of that room with Zuko.

Zuko whistled lowly. "Look at you. Just bending over backwards when she calls and beckons for you."

"Toph's my best friend," Aang reminded and warned him, the promise of pain and suffering looming in the air.

Zuko needed to be more careful. Toph's sadistic ways had obviously rubbed off on Aang over the years. That didn't mean that he would actually heed his warning. "You're going to send your woman to do your dirty work?"

 _His woman_? Aang gave him a look. What was with him? He was almost as determined to match make as Toph was. "When are you going to let this go?"

"The person that you fall in love with should always be considered your best friend," Zuko answered instead. "You two already have the best friend part solidified. All you've got to do now is kiss or something and you'll be home free."

Toph wasn't kidding when she said that Zuko and Katara were masters of beating around the bush. He didn't even answer his question. "You sound like your uncle," Aang replied pensively.

"I think it's the tea," Zuko said with a smile. "Uncle's rooting for you guys, too."

It was a bit disturbing how this didn't bother Aang. In fact, he wasn't even surprised a little. With a bit of a chuckle, he watched Zuko for a few moments. "She kissed me yesterday."

Zuko started. He definitely wasn't expecting that. "Why?"

"Koko."

That was enough of an explanation for the both of them. Zuko guessed that Toph kissed him to ward Koko off, but that didn't explain how they were acting like nothing even happened. "You two kissed?"

"No, _we_ didn't kiss," Aang corrected with a wave of his finger. " _She_ kissed me."

Whatever. It still counted. Yet, it was still strange how there wasn't even a hint of a blush on Aang's face. The boy was known for his red cheeks. "How are you so calm about this?"

Aang stood with a shrug. "It's not like it was the first time. Just the first time in a long time. That's why I got all giggly after it happened."

Correction: Zuko wasn't expecting _that_. He suddenly felt like gossiping, just like those old hags that his uncle hung out with. However, his shock was quelled - just a bit - by the fact that Aang got giggly. That was the Aang that he knew. "Excuse me? When _else_ have you two kissed?"

The corners of Aang's mouth quirked a bit. "The world may never know." With that, he stepped out of the room.

It took all of Zuko's willpower not to _run_ after him. How dare he just say that and step out without any further explanation or, at least a _promise_ of some explanation? As calmy as he could, Zuko followed Aang into the living room, only to find Toph and Katara.

Toph looked at Aang. "What took you so long?"

Aang looked at Zuko. "What took me so long, Zuko?"

Honestly, Toph wasn't a good influence on Aang. He couldn't exactly tell Toph that he had delayed Aang by encouraging him to pursue her. Toph may have been small, but she was able. "It was nothing important." When Aang smirked a bit, he rolled his eyes and looked at Katara. She looked a bit...scared? This was to be expected whenever _anyone_ was left alone with Toph for a while. But, this was Katara. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, Katara," Toph said as she looked back to Katara. "What's going on?"

Katara looked between Aang and Zuko. "Help me-"

"I'll tell you what's going on," Toph interrupted with a stomp of her foot. "Katara's a _liar_!"

The older woman gasped, inhaling, swallowing, and almost choking on an ample amount of air. "I am not!" she screeched after almost choking.

"She's a dirty liar," Toph continued vehemently. "She's _lying_ about _not_ being a liar!"

This was a rather bold accusation considering the type of woman Katara was. She always strove to be honest in any and every situation that she faced. No one could ever accuse her of lying and Zuko knew this. He held a hand up and approached the two women. "Alright, let's calm down. You're being a bit irrational."

"No, I'm not," Toph retorted. "Katara planted a false seed into Suki's ear, knowing that she would relay the message to her idiot boyfriend."

"Hey," Katara warned lowly. Her brother may have been an idiot, but he was still her brother.

Like Toph cared. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she was going to milk it all up for all it was worth. Katara constantly mothered and babied Toph and Aang from the day that they met. One thing that Katara drilled into their heads was how important the truth was and how she never, _ever_ lied. "Miss High and Mighty over here is always telling me how it's bad to lie and how important the truth is. Who's the liar now?"

Zuko started. He hadn't thought of it in that way. "I think you did lie."

This was strange. Katara never lied. Even when she did lie, it couldn't even be counted as a lie because it never strayed far enough from the truth. "Katara," Aang began hesitantly. "Did you _lie_ to your brother?"

Katara prepared to vehemently deny the claim. She didn't want to look like a liar in front of Toph and Aang. She was older and was supposed to be setting an example for them. She met their eyes. Well, as much of an example she could possibly set for _those_ two. "Quick, what's the definition of 'lie'?"

They all looked to Toph. Having a rich friend who got tutors to drill the dictionary into their brain did come in handy at times.

"A lie is an intentionally false statement," she instantly recited.

Katara smiled a bit. Perhaps she could be a bad influence, just this once. She met Zuko's eyes. Besides, it wasn't like they were innocent, little kids. "Yes. I did lie."

Zuko chuckled a bit and Aang grinned. Toph, however, didn't look amused. "You're a liar."

"I'm a liar," Katara conceded with a nod.

Toph watched her. "Does this mean that you'll stop babying me?"

"Nope."

Toph could try to act like she hated Katara's mother complex, but she didn't. It was comforting to have someone care for her and not smother her as much as her parents did. "I understand. Sokka's a nuisance."

Katara couldn't even argue with that. "It was a last resort tactic. Truce?"

Toph nodded. "Truce. You may now leave to go on your date."

Claims of "It's not a date!" and "We're just friends!" immediately flew into the air.

Aang laughed and clapped his hands like a toddler. "Wow, they even turned red together!"

Katara shook her head and grabbed for her jacket. "Whatever," she sputtered out as she grabbed Zuko's arm and led him to the door. "Don't set this place on fire." With that, they left the apartment.

As soon as they left, Toph began pacing and Aang plopped himself down onto the couch. He watched her. "What's up?"

"Katara lied," she said with a shake of her head. "To her brother. To keep him away from her and Zuko. Katara never lies."

Aang nodded. He understood. If Katara lied for any reason, then it was serious. In other words, this operation got more serious. Not only did they have to counter Sokka's attacks, but they also needed to watch out for Katara's, and maybe Zuko's, sly moves. "What now?"

She stopped pacing and regarded him. "We're going to that festival."

"Are we going to spy on them?"

"We're going to spy on them hard."

"At least you're not calling it " _monitoring_ " this time."

"Very funny."

He smiled at her glare and stretched with a yawn before laying on the couch. They weren't leaving anytime soon since Katara and Zuko just left. It would be suspicious if they met up at the festival at the same time. Aang had enough time ahead of him for a power nap. He would need it. "Wake me up when we're leaving."


	5. Chapter 5

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Five

.

"Many hands make light work."

― John Heywood

.

_Zuko was ten years old when he, his mother, and little sister left his father. That day really was a blur to little Zuko and he couldn't remember much. Well, he actually did remember quite a bit, but it was difficult for him to put all of the events in chronological order. Probably and most likely because he suppressed the memory._

_There was fighting - that much he did remember. Then again, there was always fighting in his household between his two parents for as long as he could remember. There were always mean and spiteful little jabs thrown at the other, sometimes when they thought that the children weren't listening. Most of the time, right in front of their faces. This was normal and Zuko was used to it - more used to it than a ten year old should have been. However, that day, it was different. The atmosphere and the fighting was different. More hostile. More violent._

_He remembered his father grabbing his mother in the kitchen. He remembered attempting to stop him with as much strength as he could muster up. Then, it got hot. He felt like he was on fire - burning._ _His father froze. His mother took the opportunity to gather her two children and flee to his Uncle Iroh's house._

_"Hello, my young prince and princess," Iroh said jovially when he greeted them at his doorstep._

_Zuko never understood how Iroh could be his father's brother. They were so different - Ozai was so mean and rough, while Iroh was kind and warm. His uncle even lived behind the park. Immediately, a smile grew onto Zuko's face. It kind of hurt because of that fresh scar, but he was happy to see his uncle. "Hi, Uncle-"_

_"Oh, Uncle," Azula, his younger sister interrupted frantically with a shake of her head. "It was horrible! Momma and Papa were fighting and Zuzu tried to stop them. Then, Papa burned Zuzu!" She grabbed Zuko's face and pushed it in Iroh's direction. "See! See!"_

_Zuko pushed her small hand away. "Stop that."_

_Azula's eyes widened. "See?" she asked in a theatrical whisper. Azula was always the dramatic one._

_Iroh studied Zuko's face before the child looked away. Then, he met Ursa's eyes behind the children. "I see. Why don't you three come in?" He led the small family in and shut the door behind him as he exchanged a few words with Ursa._

_With a short sigh, he painted a smile on and faced the children. Zuko knew that the smile was fake. "You two are in luck today. While I'll be speaking with your mother, you can both go make friends with some of the children outside." He led them out, through the back door, and pointed at a small group of children playing before he shut the door._

_Zuko didn't really want to play with anyone at the moment, but Azula looked intrigued at the thought. They didn't really get the chance to make friends due to moving around so frequently. Plus, he doubted that his uncle would let them back in. He seemed set on speaking with his mother. So, he took Azula's hand and led her to the group of children. "C'mon."_

_When they reached the children, Zuko cleared his throat. "Hey."_

_There was a child with curly, brown hair and a kind smile playing with a huge dog. He looked really happy. "Hi," he began politely as he pet the dog. "I'm Aang-"_

_"Wait, wait, wait," another boy started. He looked around Zuko's age with dark skin and blue eyes. He eyed Zuko suspiciously. "Who are you?"_

_There was scoff. It came from a girl who looked a lot like that boy. She must have been his sister. "Gee, Sokka. I'm pretty sure that he was about to introduce himself." She looked at him. "Right?"_

_Zuko opened his mouth to answer._

_"Of course, he was," another voice sounded and Zuko shut his mouth. This voice was really high. Extremely and strangely high. He didn't even know where it was coming from. "He just doesn't want another big kid to come in. He's jealous."_

_Sokka screeched. His voice was pretty high, too. "No, I'm not!"_

_He looked down and finally found that the first voice came from a small girl. She was so tiny, but he could tell that she wasn't to be messed with, even with her long hair trailing down her back like that._

_"I'm Zuko," he said. "and this is my sister, Azula."_

_The small girl nodded. "I'm Toph. Fuzzy head over there is Aang. Blue eyes is Katara. Screechy is Sokka."_

_"I am not screechy!" Sokka screeched. He was ignored._

_Aang knelt down beside his dog and pet it. "Don't forget about Appa."_

_Sokka, offended at being ignored, didn't take too well to the new kid and his baby sister being accepted so readily. He crossed his arms. "Well, how do we know if he's not bad?"_

_Katara stomped her foot and glared at her brother. "You idiot! You just met him! You can't just say that people are bad before you get to know them!"_

_"But, how do we know?!" Sokka screeched._

_"Ugh, stop screeching, will you?" Toph said with her hands over her ears._

_"I'm not screeching!"_

_Azula giggled beside him and Zuko's hold on her hand grew firm. The group was weird, but Azula seemed to like them. "I'm right here, you know."_

_Sokka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, tell me about it."_

_Zuko was taken aback. What was wrong with him? "What's your problem?"_

_"You!"_

_"We just met!"_

_"So what?!"_

_"Maybe you are jealous!"_

_As the two older boys argued, Azula slipped her hand from her brother's grasp and stepped up to the huge dog to pet it. The others merely watched the argument._

_"Why would I be jealous?!" Sokka screeched._

_"You tell me! You're the one with the problem, Screechy!"_

_Toph snorted._

_"I'm not screechy, Scar Face!"_

_Azula immediately stood to punch Sokka in the kneecap. "That's not funny." With that, she resumed petting Appa._

_Zuko wasn't offended. "I'd rather have a scar than to have an annoying, screechy, ugly voice!"_

_Everyone gasped._

_Azula giggled as she hugged the dog. Getting her away from that dog would be a problem later on. "Good one, Zuzu."_

_Zuko made a face. Seriously? Was that really worse than him being called a scar face?_

_Toph was the first to recover. "Sparky. This guy is Sparky."_

_Sokka looked at her, bewildered. "How does he get a nickname already?! It took me a whole year to get one!"_

_Wait, what was going on? "What is he talking about?" Zuko asked._

_Aang ignored him. "Sparky, like fire."_

_"No," Zuko began. "My name is Zuko."_

_"It's Sparky," Toph said casually. "And you'll like it."_

_"That's not fair!" Sokka screeched._

_"Shut up, Screechy."_

_"I'm not screechy!"_

_Katara giggled behind her hand._

_What was going on? Zuko was so confused and no one seemed to be listening to him. "My name is Zuko!"_

_Toph's eyes lit up. "He's kind of pretty, too. Even with that scar."_

_"Pretty?! I'm not pretty," Zuko argued. What was wrong with these people? "Girls are pretty!"_

_Aang studied him and seemed to agree. Not with Zuko, whom he blatantly ignored, but with Toph. "Prince Sparky?"_

_"Princ-_ ess _Sparky."_

_Zuko started. "What-!"_

_"That's what Uncle calls me," Azula interrupted giddily. "Princess!"_

_Toph and Aang immediately clutched their stomachs as they doubled over with laughter._

_Zuka paled. This couldn't be happening. "That isn't my name!"_

_"Yeah," Sokka screeched. "Call him Zuko!"_

_"What he said!"_

_"Don't agree with me!"_

_Zuko almost pulled his hair out. What was happening?!_

_Toph's laughter intensified. "Princess Sparky!"_

_At her words, Aang's giggles grew. "Like Sparkles!"_

_"Glitter!"_

_"Princess Glitter!"_

_"No, Princess Sparkling Glitter!"_

_Aang fell to the ground in laughter as Toph stomped her foot, emphasizing the point of her amusement. Zuko thought that Sokka was the trouble maker of the group, but he was sorely mistaken. The trouble makers were obviously Toph and Aang. "Repeat after me: Zu. Ko."_

_"Zuko," Sokka said with a nod._

_Zuko wasn't even going to try it with that one anymore._

_Katara, still giggling from behind her hand, seemed to sense his turmoil. "Don't get mad. Toph gives nicknames to people she likes. That means you're in."_

_Sokka shook his head. "No, no, no! Don't say that! He's not in!"_

_Zuko stopped to take Katara's words in. Nicknames meant that he was in? No wonder Sokka was so adamant on them calling him Zuko. "Oh." What a strange concept._

_Sokka stomped his foot. "Not 'oh'. Fight for your name!"_

_"Shut up, Screechy," Toph sighed out with a grin._

_"My voice isn't screechy!"_

_"Yeah, don't be jealous, Screechy," Aang said from his seat on the ground._

_"I'm not screechy!"_

_"Zuko's cool." Aang finished with a smile._

_Toph crossed her arms with a shake of her head and a mischievous grin. "No, Zuko isn't cool. Princess Sparkling Glitter is."_

_That sent Aang into another bout of laughter and Sokka into a ranting rave._

_As happy as Zuko was to have been accepted, that nickname just wouldn't do. "But, I don't like that nickname."_

_"Ah," Aang said with a shrug and a sigh. "Sorry. You don't get to make that choice."_

_Zuko made a face. "That's not fair."_

_Toph shrugged. "Life isn't fair."_

_Zuko seriously couldn't have been getting bossed around by a little girl who was literally half the size of his eight year old baby sister. He was ready to argue against this. Then, Appa leaped, pushed him to the ground, and began lapping at his face._

_"Appa likes you, Zuzu!" Azula exclaimed happily._

_"Appa's a good judge of character," he heard Katara say. "Right, Aang?"_

_"Yup," he answered. "If Appa likes him, then he's definitely cool."_

_"Oh!" Azula's clapping could be heard. "Good job, Zuzu!"_

_"Princess Sparkling Glitter Zuzu-"_

_"Mmh!" Zuko's assertions were muffled by Appa's weight and slobbering tongue all over his face._

_"-And Goldy Eyes," Toph finished, as if testing the sound of it. She really wasn't good with nicknames, but she was only six. "You guys are cool."_

Zuko's memory was never very good and he was big enough to admit this to himself, especially since he had been suppressing memories since he was six. But, this didn't bother him. If he wanted to remember something, he would. The one memory that he would never forget was the day that he met the strange hodgepodge of friends. _This_ \- he would never admit aloud. Despite the stupid nicknames from Toph, debates with Sokka, and random attacks from Appa over the years, they had become his best friends and he was glad. Luckily for Zuko, Toph eventually grew too lazy to actually call him "Princess Sparkling Glitter Zuzu" every time she saw him and he got promoted to "Sparky" instead. However, he hadn't expected to fall for Katara.

Growing up, everyone thought that she was perfect. And she was. She was pretty, got good grades, and excelled in almost every sport. It was almost as if she was _too_ perfect. Especially when she would mother everyone, correct their grammar and poor posture, and badger them about their grades. She was a know-it-all who _knew_ that she knew it all. She knew how brilliant she was and didn't need anyone to tell her. Instead, _she_ would tell _you_. It was almost as if she was attempting to extract all of her perfection from within herself and shower it all onto them. It was irritating to no end and would always cause them to get into arguments. Stupid arguments.

It was a bit exhilarating to argue with her because the only people who would ever challenge him were Azula and his mother. Everyone else let him have his way. Girls, especially. They thought he was good looking, so they automatically agreed to everything he said. Guys were intimidated by him, so they didn't challenge him. (Well, Sokka did, but he didn't really count.) Katara was different. He liked getting her all riled up. He liked seeing her slip from that little pedestal of perfection that people built for her and she reveled in. So, he would nitpick and get her all flustered over any little thing that he could think of. She didn't like that one bit.

 _"I don't care how pretty you are,"_ she sneered at him one day during his second year of college and her senior year of high school. _"Those ditzy little Barbie girls might let you get over on them, but you better not expect that from me. I will call you out on everything that I need to and chew you out whenever I've got the chance. Got it, Scar Face?"_

That was when he knew that she was _"The One"_. It was a bit masochistic on his part and really cheesy, but it didn't matter because she felt the same way about him as he did about her. Which was why after two years of tiptoeing around their feelings for each other, Zuko decided to take the intiative and help out with _Operation: Zutara_.

Yup. He knew.

It was when he came to the girls' apartment to pick Katara up that he found out. She told him to wait for her in the living room while she finished something up and he was never really one to actually listen when he was told to do anything, so he wandered off in search of Toph. She was an entertaining little one. When he found her and her cohort, they were speaking of their little operation. So, when he had heard enough, he stepped in and let his presence be known. He was actually a bit surprised that Toph hadn't notice him before - sometimes, it was as if she had a sixth sense. But, she was engrossed in the conversation, so he understood. When they asked if he had heard anything, he lied right through his teeth. Zuko was a dirty liar and proud of it. He knew all about _Operation: Zutara,_ their enemy Sokka, and he was expecting to see them tonight at the harvest fest, spying on him and Katara.

Beside him, Katara grabbed his sleeve and led him to a booth. "I'll win you that bear."

He made a face. "Why? Because I'm a princess?"

Her brow quirked. "You said it. Not me."

"Ha." But, he wasn't mad and she knew it. A bit of a smile crawled it's way onto his mouth when she paid the booth man a dollar for the game. She would win the biggest bear for him, simply because she excelled at just about anything she set her mind to, and he would just end up giving it to her at the end of the night. They both knew it.

That was just their relationship, if anyone could even call _whatever_ it was that was between them _that_. Which was why this _Operation: Zutara_ came at the most opportune time. Zuko was ready to take this to the next level. He knew that Katara was, but she was still too proud to admit it and he didn't want to scare her off. Two nosy trouble makers plotting to get them together were the perfect gateway for his plans. Plans, as in, more than one plan. The primary plan being to help Toph and Aang complete _Operation: Zutara._ The secondary plan being to help Toph and Aang get together.

It was always a joke between him and Aang - mostly Zuko - that those two would eventually get together. He had even had conversations with the two of them speaking about marrying each other if they both weren't married by a certain age. (Once again, this was a joke, but still.) This was the least that Zuko could do with them trying to get him and Katara together. What else were friends for?

A party whistle sounded and Katara laughed as she was handed the large, fluffy bear. "I told you that I'd win it for you!"

Zuko shrugged as they walked from the booth. "I didn't say that I didn't believe you."

She rolled her eyes and handed him the bear. "You're welcome."

He laughed at her pout and took the bear from her. It really was huge. Luckily, he wasn't going to have to keep it at his house. "Thank you, Katara. You're the best."

She shrugged, but there was a smile fighting to come out. "Tell me something I don't know." Before he could answer, she spotted another booth and her eyes lit up. "I'll win you that penguin!" With that, she sprinted off.

Zuko sighed. She would have trouble carrying all of those prizes home tonight. Nevertheless, he followed after her with a bit of a smirk. After tonight, _Operation: Taang_ would be set in motion and put into effect.

Where were those two, anyway?

He checked the time. It was already two hours into the harvest fest. He had been expecting them to be spying by now.

Mission One - Harvest Fest

True to Zuko's suspicions, Toph and Aang were spying. Although, they weren't spying as closely as they - _Toph_ \- would have liked to. Since they didn't want to go searching through every section of the large and bustling harvest fest, they were on the Ferris wheel, looking around whenever they circled to the top.

Toph quietly huffed to herself. As of that afternoon, _Operation: Zutara_ had died and been restored to life. In other words, the operation was to begin anew with this mission. That debacle and mockery of a mission that they had completed at the restaurant was no longer considered as their first mission. Now, they knew who they were dealing with. They already knew how smart Katara was, but it took her lying for them to realize what a danger her intelligence would really impart on their operation. And so, _this_ was their first mission: Mission One - Harvest Fest. It wasn't very creative, but this whole thing was such short notice.

Toph took her binoculars out when their booth reached the top of the Ferris wheel. "Where are those two-" She whipped her head to glare at Aang when he snatched the binoculars away. "What?"

He didn't seem to be affected by her little tantrum. He was used to them. Instead, he studied the binoculars. "You can't keep looking over with these things. This looks suspicious, T."

"That wasn't a problem before."

"People can actually see us this time."

"So?"

"They'll call the _cops_ on us."

She shrugged. "I thought we talked about this. I'm a Beifong. I've got money."

Honestly, attempting to get through to this girl was pointless. Her stubbornness was a force to be reckoned with. Still, he held on to the binoculars and stuffed them into the pocket inside of his jacket. "You've got eyes for a reason."

She huffed again. What a party pooper. With a roll of her eyes, she waited for their booth to circle to the top. The thing went so slow. Finally, after about a full two minutes of waiting, their booth reached the top and she began looking around. "Do you think Zuko was telling the truth when he said that he didn't hear anything that we were talking about?"

Beside her, Aang shrugged as he searched as well. "I'm pretty sure he was telling the truth. Zuko doesn't really lie. He's always talking about his honor." The booth slowly left the top and he looked at her. "You're the lie detector, remember?"

Toph turned to look at him. "I feel like you guys have gotten better at hiding the truth from me after so many years of friendship."

He laughed at this. Obviously, she was still shaken up about Katara's lying. "Even me?"

There was a bit of mischief in her grin. "Of course not. You were always a bad liar. You're still a bad liar."

Aang honestly wasn't sure if he should have been happy about that or not. But, he was pretty sure that she meant it as an insult. "You're ugly."

She snorted. "One of the worst lies you've ever told me."

"How could you tell?"

"We both know how good looking I am."

He rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. Honestly, her pride was a problem. He wasn't going to argue with her on this. "You're right."

"Of course, I'm right."

"You're beautiful, T."

"I don't need you to tell me how beautiful I am," she said with a shrug and a bit of a grin. "I already know." He always said that and she already did know, but it was nice to hear him say it.

The booth made it's way to the top and they both looked over their respective walls. "I think I see them," Aang said beside her.

Immediately, she made her way over to his side and followed his eyes. "It is them," she confirmed.

"Too bad this thing goes so slow," he said. "They're all the way on the other side. By the time we reach the bottom, they'll be gone."

Like hell, Toph was going to wait for this slow piece of metal garbage to reach the bottom. This thing could go faster. She knew it and she would make it happen. She shuffled over back to her seat and waved at the worker. "You need to stop this thing now!"

Aang started. "T., what are you doing?"

She looked at him. "I'm getting us off of this thing." She leaned over her side and painted on a look of grief. "I need to get off of this thing! Please!"

The worker looked up at her. "Why?"

Aang shook his head and looked up to the heavens. Of course, this was _his_ best friend. But, he was stuck with her, so he might as well help her out. He made his way over to her side. "My girlfriend's pregnant and she's got a strange case of morning sickness!"

The worker gave them a look. "It's six o'clock! How can she be having morning sickness?"

"I said that it was strange, didn't I?" Aang shrugged. "I'm used to it! But, if _you_ want to argue with a pregnant woman's stomach, be my guest! _I'm_ not the one who'll have to shut this ride down to clean the mess up and in turn, lose some profit!"

For emphasis, Toph covered her mouth and made an unpleasant retching sound. She seriously should have majored in Theatre instead of Architecture.

The worker didn't argue with that. It turned out that Toph was right; that Ferris wheel really could go faster. Soon enough, they found themselves on sweet ground.

"Thanks," Toph threw over her shoulder as she and Aang sprinted off to their destination.

"Should you really be running?!" the worker called out as he set the machine back into motion, but it went unheard.

The two finally reached their destination and looked around for the couple. The two would probably scream at them for using that word to describe them, but it was useless at this point. Toph's brows furrowed. Where were those two? They couldn't have gotten away that quickly.

In fact, they didn't. Zuko and Katara were two booths down from them, but they didn't know it. Well, Zuko did and was doing his best not to be seen by the two.

He felt a surge of pride run through him at the sight of them. So, they _did_ follow them to the festival. Although, he did wonder what had taken them so long to find him and Katara.

When Toph turned to his direction, he ducked behind one of the many stuffed animals in his hand. He couldn't let them know that he knew that they were there. But, he needed a plan of his own. He cleared his throat and pointed to food vending booth. "Are you hungry?"

Katara nodded. "Ravenous."

Perfect. They began to make their way to the food vending booth before Zuko realized that Toph and Aang still had no clue that they were there. He needed them to notice him so that he could do some spying of his own. So, he dropped a stuffed animal on the ground. He turned to pick it up, making sure that Toph and Aang saw his face.

""Oops," he said sheepishly. He didn't miss those jade eyes and that bald head before they ducked.

Katara shrugged with a laugh. "It's no problem." She picked the stuffed pig up and dusted it off. "Let's go."

"Yeah, let's." Zuko followed her lead.

 _Operation: Taang_ was now in full effect.


	6. Chapter 6

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Six

.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

― Fred and George Weasley

.

Mission One - Harvest Fest of _Operation: Zutara_ was a success. At least, by Toph's standards it was a success, and this was only because everything went exactly as planned. It was mainly for observational purposes, but all of her observations proved her hypotheses correct. Honestly, for two people who constantly attempted to deny the verity of their relationship, Zuko and Katara were pretty predictable.

At the harvest festival, they both looked like they were in high school again, laughing, playing games, and stuffing their mouths with junk food. Katara had a seemingly permanent smile on her face. Even the normally solemn and serious Zuko had a hint of a smile on his face all night. Anyone who saw them together that night probably guessed that they were a couple. If said couple was approached about this, they both would have denied the accusation vehemently. Katara had even come home with an obscene amount of stuffed animals. Which meant that Toph's work was nowhere near done. She had no problem with this, especially since it helped to distract her from studying from that upcoming test.

"T.," Aang's voice broke her train of thought. They were at her apartment, sitting in the kitchen, because she deemed it of the highest importance for him to come over. "Don't you have that test in, like, two days?"

Toph attributed him bringing the test up to their best friend telepathy. "Tomorrow," she corrected.

He shook his head with a sigh. This was probably why she called him over - to help her study. "Are we pulling an all nighter?"

"No," she said with a tone of disgust. She hated all nighters, but she loved _sleep_. There was no in between or compromise with those two. So, to effectively deal with this conundrum, she always chose the one that she loved more. Needless to say, sleep won over her grades any day. "Besides, we have another mission."

Aang almost got up and left. He really just came over to talk about the stupid operation. That girl really was putting everything into it. "Did it ever occur to you that I do have a life of my own?"

A brow quirked. "Outside of work, school, and sports?"

"Yes."

"No."

" _Toph_."

She grinned. It was pretty funny to see him frustrated. The tips of his ears grew all red. "We need to complete another mission."

"We _need_ to?"

"We need to."

They looked at each other for a moment, one challenging the other before he sighed. Either way, he would be wrapped up into whatever she had planned. He might as well make it easier on himself - since he would be the _only_ one to suffer - and surrender. "Fine. What's today's mission?"

There was a pause.

"I heard that if you lock two people with romantic or sexual tension in a room for an _x_ amount of time, _things happen_."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

She laughed.

Mission Two - Locked Up

According to Toph, the first step to completing any task is to make sure that everything necessary for said completion was at hand. (She read this in a book.) In this case, the task that needed to be completed was the mission. A.K.A., Mission Two - Locked Up. The materials in this situation were two people: Zuko and Katara.

"Victims," Aang corrected when he heard the plan. Right before he received a punch in the gut.

The plan was exactly what the mission name and her comment insinuated. Toph and Aang were going to lock Zuko and Katara in a room until they officially became a couple. Crazy? Absolutely. Possible? Well, Toph thought so. Aang was pretty sure that Zuko would call the police on them and that Katara would visit them at the jail and give them heartfelt speeches that Toph would blatantly ignore and he would grow guilty over. But, Aang didn't need to worry because Toph had a plan for the plan.

Besides, if it didn't work, she could always get them both bailed out and they could try again.

He shuddered at the thought.

Step one: Create a problem.

"Sparky," Toph spoke into the phone before pausing.

Aang guessed that Zuko was complaining about the nickname at that point, which was pretty useless. He had been complaining about that nickname since he was ten and she still wasn't showing any signs of budging.

"Yeah, yeah," she continued with a wave of her hand. "I need a favor, Glitter." She immediately held the phone away from her ear and place her hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh, prompting Aang to chuckle a bit. She took a breath and brought the phone back to her ear. "I'm serious. The bathroom door of our apartment is messed up and I'm not trying to waste money on a handyman when I've got you here. Princess Hot Man to the rescue, right?"

Aang could hear the shouts from over the phone. "Sparky" was the perfect nickname for him. Especially when Toph knew all the right buttons to push.

"Okay, okay," Toph said. "If I say that I'm sorry, will you come fix the door? Alright, see you in a few. Hurry, though. I want it fixed before Katara gets home so that I can show her how responsible I am." She scoffed. "Shut up. That's why you're Princess Hot Sparkling Glitter Zuzu Man." With that, she shut the phone and looked at Aang. "Twinkles?"

"Yeah?"

"We need to rig that door."

Aang wasn't surprised. So, he stood from his seat. "Where's the toolbox?"

Honestly, for someone who refused to use their smarts for studying and schoolwork, Toph's intelligence was quite impressive. Especially her intelligence regarding all things architectural, which really wasn't that surprising. It was what she majored in, after all, but it always caught Aang off guard. When they had finally managed to find the toolbox, they worked on bathroom door's screws for a short moment before she eventually took over. As he sat on the floor and against a wall, he couldn't help but to watch his best friend work in admiration. She really was skillful in the craft.

Fortunately, she brought him out of his thoughts. "Enjoying the show?" she asked as she screwed a bolt in place.

"Yes." It wasn't like he could lie to her. She could always tell.

She snorted with a grunt. "You could, at least, offer to help instead of just sitting there and looking pretty."

"Would you let me help?"

A grunt. "Good point."

Thoughtfully, he watched a small hand raise to tuck a stray lock of hair into her big, messy bun. "You know, this is very damaging to my male ego."

"Good," she said as placed the screwdriver down and picked a wrench up. "Male egos are far too big nowadays. One less ego won't hurt this male dominated society."

"Down, T."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Apparently, I have to since you can't control yourself."

"Just sit there, like a proper lady, and keep your mouth shut."

He raised a brow. "Role reversal?"

She laughed a bit. "Yeah, I'm daddy."

There was a pause.

" _Daddy?_ "

Her laughs grew with a slight grunt as she kicked a rod in. "It got you to shut up, didn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said with a wave of his hand. "I'll remember how pretty I have to be when you need a ride to school."

She glanced at him with a roll of her eyes before she went back to working on the door. "How long do you think we'll have until Zuko realizes that I could fix this door on any day, blind folded, with one arm behind my back, and without any help?"

He shrugged. It was a bit strange how Zuko hadn't mentioned that. "I'm not sure. Maybe he's still hungover from his date with Katara last night. Oh, excuse me."

"It wasn't a date," they mocked in unison before Aang continued. "Or maybe it was all those nicknames that threw him off. You better stop with that. I have a feeling that he'll step on you one day."

Toph whirled her head to look at him. "Excuse me?"

The doorbell rang.

Aang grinned. She raised a brow and his grin immediately fell. She may have been small, but she was able, if not anything else.

She immediately stood, gathering up the supplies and placing them into the toolbox as she did so. "This door is rigged to stay shut until it gets fixed. Or unless the key is used from the outside."

He watched her from his seat on the ground, grateful for the distraction. "Where's the key?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

He debated on arguing that answer for a bit. Then, he decided that it wasn't worth it. "What's the plan for him?"

"We push him inside and shut the door before he can say or do anything." With that, she made her way to the front door.

Aang shook his head as he stood and sprinted after her before she could open the door. He took the toolbox from her. "'T' doesn't stand for 'Toph' anymore."

Toph looked intrigued. "What else does it stand for?"

"Trouble."

A grin immediately found it's way onto her face. "Thanks!"

He shook his head again. He was fully convinced that he would have a permanent sprain in his neck by the time this operation ended. If it ever did end. "Not a compliment." Before she could reply, he stepped away with the toolbox in tow.

Toph raised a brow. Not a compliment? Says him. She pushed the thought away and opened the door to come face to face with Zuko. "What took you so long, Sparky?"

He looked unimpressed. "I could leave right now, kid."

"I'm 19."

"Act like it."

"Are you talking about society's standards for a 19 year old to act?"

"Now, you're just making excuses for your behavior!" he loudly retorted with a shake of his head. He made it a point to ignore the grin on her face as he shut the door behind him. "Just show me the bathroom."

Toph smiled a smile that was way too innocent for her face. "Gladly."

Zuko was locked in Toph's and Katara's bathroom. From the words coming out of his mouth, he was _pretty_ angry. But, it wasn't Toph's and Aang's faults, honest. It wasn't their fault that this bathroom door locked from the outside, that Toph "lost" the key, that he had forgotten to bring his own toolbox, and that she forgot to inform him of these important details beforehand. At least, this was what they told him.

"Don't worry, Sparky-"

_"Stop calling me that!"_

Immediately, a hand flew to cover Toph's mouth and stop the snickers from coming out. Aang held his stomach as he wheezed and stomped his foot. In reality, it was surprising how fluidly and accordingly the plan worked. Aang didn't think that it would work, but it did and now, Zuko was stuck in a bathroom for, what looked like, the rest of the day. He had to give her credit for that.

_"I can hear you two laughing!"_

That only served to feed into their laughing frenzy. Aang, who was in much better shape than Toph at the moment, took it upon himself to answer. As much as he disagreed with this plan, he had to admit that it was funny. He took a few calming breaths. "I'll call Katara and ask her where she left the spare key and the toolbox."

There was grumbling before they heard a disgruntled, _"Hurry up!"_

Step one of Mission Two - Locked Up was complete. Which meant that it was time to commence step two.

Step Two: Support the problem.

Aang was a sissy boy. He was more in touch with his emotions than any other man she had ever known and even more than her, which she couldn't even blame him for. Toph was never good with handling overwhelming emotions in the first place, but that was besides the point. He always tried denying his sissiness by claiming that he was "just comfortable with his emotions" and that there was "nothing wrong with a man being in touch with his soft side". It didn't matter because Toph would stand by her claims of him being a sissy boy until the day that she died. She knew it and she made sure that he knew it as well.

"Katara," Aang spoke shakily and frantically into the phone. "Katara, I need your help."

However, as sissy as Aang might have been, it didn't hurt that he could just bring on the waterworks whenever it was necessary.

"No, I'm fine," Aang continued heavily. " _I'm_ fine. But, Zuko... Zuko, he-!" He cut himself off with a sigh and a choked sob. "Toph and I, we tried to stop him! Honest, we did-! But, Zuko, he-! He just wanted to help, Katara!"

Toph watched, impressed. Honestly, if she wasn't in on this plan and with Katara instead, she would have been teetering on the edge of her seat.

"Okay, okay." Aang sighed. "I'm calm, I'm calm. I just-just." Another heavy sigh. " _Please_ hurry." He waited a few moments before he shut the phone and looked to Toph. "How was that?"

"And the Oscar goes to," she finished the statement with a flourish of her hands. "Forget studying Aviation, Hollywood's where the money's at."

He grinned with a bow, obviously satisfied with his performance. "Are we doing the same thing with Katara?"

She nodded. "Yup. She should be here pretty soon, too. You went _'Titanic'_ on her."

Suddenly, the jingle of keys fumbling at the front door could be heard. Toph and Aang looked at each other. Was she here already? Katara was the self proclaimed mother and caretaker of the group, and she was hopelessly in love with Zuko, but how did she get there so quickly?

Frantic footsteps were heard before Katara stepped into the room, her hair a mess and her clothes disheveled. "I got on the highway as soon as I heard your voice."

The younger pair blinked. Well, that answered their questions.

Katara set her bag and keys down before she went searching through drawers and cupboards. "I was able to get off early since the boss likes me, you know. It pays to be nice and kiss up to your superiors."

Aang smiled a bit. There was no doubt that this was directed to Toph.

Katara spun around, a first aid kit in hand. "Where is he?"

Zuko was pretty sure that this whole incident was a part of Toph's and Aang's little _Operation: Zutara_. Which was why he didn't argue with Toph over the phone when she asked him to come over to fix the door. The girl was majoring in Architecture and was a genius with tools, for goodness' sake. She was fully capable of fixing all types of doors by herself with no difficulty, he knew this. There was no doubt that this was a part of their plan. He was only there because he was curious to see what their next plan of action would be. If he was called over and locked in this room, he was confident in the fact that, sooner or later, Katara would be shoved in and locked up as well.

He hadn't told anyone about his own little operation and he wanted to keep it that way. For now, at least, or until he was really sure of what he was up against. All he knew was that he needed to form allies, with which he was already outnumbered by Toph and Aang. But, that wouldn't last too long.

The door opened and Katara stumbled in. She blinked. "Zuko?"

He waved a hand. "Hey, roomie."

"You're not dying." She looked disappointed. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Not physically." He sat on the ground with a shake of his head.

She offered him a smile and he instantly felt lighter. Being locked in a room wasn't so bad. Especially since he had her in there with him now. "How long have you been in here?"

He shrugged. "Not sure. Somehow, they slipped my phone off of me without me noticing. Do you have any idea why they just would lock us in a room?"

She tapped her chin as she thought. "Nope, I'm pretty sure that I was told that you were dying."

He let a smile slip onto his face. So, she had no clue of their plans. He was tempted to tell her, but he declined the thought. Not yet. However, he could use the time to plant a seed and create a potential ally for _Operation: Taang_. "Those two are something else, aren't they?"

She scoffed and she sat across from him. "Those two trouble makers? They're always up to something. I'm surprised that they haven't gotten arrested, yet."

Zuko scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know. It's kind of... cute, don't you think?"

Katara looked at him. "Since when have you thought that anything was cute?"

Since she was making that face. But, telling her that wasn't really part of Zuko's plan. "Come on, they do everything together. They even get into trouble and cause problems together. They're like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde - minus the murders. Tell me that they're not a future couple in the makings."

"I don't know." Katara looked unconvinced. Which meant that Zuko would have to bring out the big guns.

In the kitchen, Aang and Toph sat across from each other at a table, a bundle of nail polishes sitting in between them. She still refused to study, so she suggested painting her nails to waste the time away as they waited. He didn't mind her procrastination. After all, it wasn't like he was taking the class. Plus, the smell wasn't as bad as people made it out to be once he got used to it.

"You know," he began. "I heard somewhere that nail polish kills brain cells."

Toph was pretty sure that he brought this up to hint at the test she was avoiding studying for. "That's besides the point," she said with a wave of her hand. "I think I'll do green today."

He looked at the bundle of nail polishes. "You always do green."

She shrugged. "I don't always mean to. I think it's because it's my favorite color. It might be a subconscious choice."

A bright orange color caught his eye. He picked the bottle up and held it out. "Do orange."

Her upper lip curled in disgust. "That's _your_ favorite color."

He raised a brow at her look. What was wrong with orange? "You should be proud to wear your best friend's favorite color on your fingers. I'd wear green nails for you."

"Your whole 'not a sissy boy' campaign just got shot in the sky."

He laughed. "I'm serious, I would! Besides, it would probably work to my advantage. I'll have the ball and make it a point to show the other team my nails as I dribble. They'll stay away and we'll win the game."

Along with studying Aviation, Aang was a star player on their school's basketball team, playing as the point guard. Toph had to admit that the plan was a bit diabolical. She obviously wasn't a good influence. For this, she was proud. "When does the season officially start?"

"Next week," he answered. "Are you coming to the first game?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?"

He smiled.

"Of course not."

His smile fell when she began to laugh. " _Toph_. I need my good luck charm there or else we'll lose the _first_ game of the season! If we lose the _first_ game of the season, then-"

"You'll have a horrible season because it sets a bad standard from the beginning," she finished. "Blah, blah, blah. I was just kidding. I'll be there, jeez."

He watched her warily. He knew that she wasn't lying, but it still wasn't right for her to joke like that. Aang was definitely superstitious - Toph thought it was stupid, but he didn't care. His father always told him to always go with his gut and his gut told him that Toph was his good luck charm. "Don't play like that."

"You're only saying that because you don't want your precious team to lose." She took the bottle of polish from his hand and inspected it. "How long has it been?"

Aang checked Zuko's phone sitting on the table. "An hour and a half. What do you think they're doing in there?"

"Probably sitting at two different corners of the room."

"Probably blushing and avoiding each other's eyes."

"Probably stuttering."

He chuckled. "I'm surprised that we haven't had any interference from Sokka, yet." He paused to inspect his hand. "I'm serious. Paint my right hand green. Maybe it'll double my luck or something."

"Zuko, I don't know," Katara began hesitantly as she paced in front of him. She had to pace. Pacing cleared her brain and at the moment, she didn't know what to think. "Toph and Aang, they're best friends. They've _been_ best friends since they were _three_."

"So," Zuko asked from his spot on the floor. "Uncle always says that your potential partner should always be considered your best friend. Those two are already halfway there. I mean, I consider you to be my best friend." His mouth immediately clamped shut. He did _not_ mean for that to come out.

"Yeah, yeah," she said with a wave of her hand. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts. "Same here."

Zuko smiled.

"But, this is Toph and Aang we're talking about," she continued obliviously. "Those two put their friendship over everything. No matter how much they fight, argue, or insult each other."

"'Tara, they already act like a married couple," he rationalized. "All that's left to push them over the edge is a kiss. Which they've already done."

Suddenly, Katara tripped over her foot in an effort to stop pacing. " _What?_ "

Zuko had her. But, he couldn't let her know that. So, he blinked. "Oops?"

She shook her head and approached him with a waggling finger. "No, no, no. Don't you _dare_ 'oops' me. You explain yourself now."

He took in a breath. "All right, you've got me." It wasn't like he wasn't going to tell her, anyway. "Last week, Toph kissed Aang at the teashop."

Katara gasped. "At the teashop?"

Zuko nodded. "At the teashop."

"On the _lips?"_ she whispered conspiratorially.

Once again, he nodded. "On the lips." When her eyes widened and she urged him to continue, he did. He felt like such a gossiper at the moment. But, this was for the greater good. At least, that was what he told himself. "Koko wouldn't leave him alone, so Toph kissed him to make her go away."

"That was only to ward Koko off," Katara said. "No biggie, right?"

"It _would_ have been no biggie if it was the first time."

Katara began sputtering. " _What?!_ That wasn't- Do you mean to tell me- Those two- There was _another_ kiss?!"

He nodded.

She resumed her pacing. "When else could those two have possibly kissed? Toph has never told me about the _other_ kiss. She didn't even tell me about the kiss at the teashop!"

Zuko watched her worriedly. Maybe she wasn't the right candidate for the position of ally for _Operation: Taang_ , after all. "Maybe she didn't think that the one at the teashop was that big of a deal. Aang didn't. But, the other one-"

"She probably won't talk about it unless she's asked," Katara finished for him. "Oh, man. Oh, _man_!" She stopped pacing. "Do you know what this _means_?!"

Zuko stuttered. "I-I'm not sure. Should I be afraid?"

"This means that Toph and Aang have _history_ , Zuko!" She shook her head with a dazed grin. One of those grins that little girls got while watching a Disney princess movie.

Zuko gulped. He knew that Katara was passionate, but this was bordering on ridiculous. "You don't look too well-"

"Those two have history. _History!_ " she exclaimed, thinking of all the possibilities. "Those two, they've been friends for so long. They went through everything together. There's _so much_ that they've gone through together."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they had a couple of secrets between themselves that no one else knows about," Zuko suggested thoughtfully. If those two kept a kiss a secret and acted like the kiss at the teashop was normal, who knew what other skeletons those two had hidden in their closets? Zuko was impressed. Huh. Maybe Katara was good for _Operation: Taang_ , after all. She was an excellent conspiracy theorist.

Katara nodded and ran a hand through her disheveled hair. "I wonder... I mean, I never thought about those two- Don't get me wrong, the thought of them together has crossed my mind before, but I always brushed it off because, you know, it's _them_. But, I really do wonder."

The sound of metal being screwed was heard.

 _"Hey, guys! Funny story,"_ Aang's voice rang out. _"Toph and I just remembered that she can fix stuff!"_

 _"Silly me,"_ Toph grunted out.

Zuko and Katara met each other's eyes before the latter spoke. "That's fine. Take your time."

If it was fine with Katara, then it was fine with Zuko. He really had no problem at all because, by the looks of it, he had successfully planted the Taang seed into Katara's mind. That was _one_ for #TeamZuko.

Soon enough, Toph fixed the door and released her victims. "Oops," she said as they gathered in the kitchen. She put the tools back into their rightful place in the box. "My bad."

"Of course, it was your bad, munchkin," Zuko replied flippantly as Aang handed him his phone. He checked the time. He was stuck in that bathroom for, almost, three hours.

"I swear," she grunted out as she attempted to place the toolbox onto the top shelf of the pantry. "You'll regret _-grunt-_ all those stupid _-grunt-_ remarks."

With a shake of his head, Aang took the toolbox from her hands and placed it into the pantry with ease. "How'd you even get it the first time?"

Toph huffed. "I used a chair."

Katara kept her eyes on the troublesome duo the entire time. Zuko noticed. Which meant that his work there was done. "I think that's my cue to leave." He didn't miss that mumbled, _"Good riddance."_ He ignored it. "Later, guys."

Before Zuko could make his way to the door, Aang held a hand out. "Wait, I need a ride home. I took the bus here!" He ran after Zuko.

A faint, _"Is that nail polish?"_ was heard.

 _"It's good luck,"_ followed before the door shut.

Toph watched Katara. The older woman had been quiet ever since she left the bathroom. Was she claustrophobic and Toph forgot that fact or something? "What's wrong? Did Zuko kiss your brains out while you guys were in there or something?"

Katara didn't even blush. Instead, she shook her head and sat on a stool. "It's funny that you would bring up kissing." She couldn't even beat around the bush with this one. "May I ask you a question?"

Toph furrowed her brows. What was up with her? Then, she nodded because frankly, Katara was worrying her. "Fine."

"Zuko told me that you and Aang kissed at the teashop," Katara began. "Is that true?"

Toph shrugged. "Yeah."

Zuko was right. She didn't think it was a big deal. "To make Koko leave him alone, right?"

Toph nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't a big deal. Just a kiss between best friends."

All right. Now, Katara was really confused. "I heard through the grapevine that you two kissed another time before, too."

This time, Toph raised a brow and crossed her arms. "I'm guessing that this grapevine is Zuko." When Katara hesitantly nodded, she pursed her lips. Several moments passed before she spoke. "Aang was my first kiss. We were nine. We saw some couple do it and we wanted to try it."

Katara blinked. As insignificant as the little factoid was, or as insignificant as Toph was attempting to make it out to be, Katara couldn't help but to feel intrusive. "I didn't know that Aang was your first kiss."

Toph raised a brow. "Now you do. Any more questions, _mom_?"

Katara rolled her eyes. Being called ' _mom_ ' by Toph only meant that she was delving in a bit too deep for comfort. "I was just curious. But, if you're feeling talkative this evening, I'm all ears." It wasn't often that Toph would open up about anything. That spot was reserved for Aang. "Is there anything else you'd like to share?"

The corners of Toph's lips quirked up a bit. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Katara's jaw almost dropped. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means enough nosiness," Toph declared. "I have a test tomorrow. Are you going to help me study?"

Katara watched as Toph made her escape. She was probably going to go find her books to study, but that was definitely an escape. So, she stood and made her way to find Toph and help her study.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Seven

.

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."

― Henry Ford

.

Mission Two - Locked Up of _Operation: Zutara_ was a complete and utter failure. Even Aang, who previously wanted no parts of it, could attest to that. They were best friends and made a good team. All in all, they worked well together in every aspect of the phrase. Which was why they were _both_ doing their part in the operation by stepping up, and recruiting and gathering reinforcements for _their_ operation _together_. One could only imagine how much better the operation would run once they had little minions under their wings. Toph, who was still a bit hung up on Zuko's speculations on her and Aang's kiss, decided to use this opportunity to distract herself from it. She would ask Aang about it. After all they were best friends and told each other everything. They never kept anything from each other. But, she honestly just didn't want to tell him. Not yet.

They were in the double office of Azula's and Suki's studio. The two women ran the Boys and Girls Club of the town together. Suki worked as the martial arts instructor while Azula, the proclaimed prodigy who graduated the same year as her older brother, worked as the ballet teacher. The two paired up and took over the downward spiraling business just as it was preparing to file for bankruptcy, manhandled it, and it had been rising ever since. When Suki's drive was paired with Azula's refusal for anything less than perfection, there was nothing that the business could have done, but to flourish. In other words, these two were anything but little minions.

Aang, honestly, didn't think that the operation would have gotten serious enough to involve them, and neither did Toph. Because of their attitudes, the two women were also the enforcers of their group of friends. Whenever any of them had a problem, Azula and Suki were who they went to to handle the problem. They took care of the situation. In short, they were sort of like the Godfathers. Or, God _mothers_ , if you will.

They knew this. This was why the room was so dimly lit.

"It's for dramatic effect," Azula later admitted one day.

Suki sat on top of the desk, picking and filing at her nails. Behind her sat Azula in the main and large chair, studying her two friends intently. Her elbows rested on the arms of the chair and her hands stood before her face, the fingers pointed together to form a tent. "Well," she said. "You come to me and my partner-"

"To us," Suki added.

"In our place of business."

"Our workplace."

Azula stopped to look at them. "May we ask why?"

Aang could have sworn that he heard those sketchy, Italian violin strings playing in the background.

Toph wasn't affected. Sadly enough. "We need your help."

Suki's attention never left her nails. "We can't exactly help you if we don't know what you need help with."

"We're trying to hook Zuko and Katara up," Aang answered.

At this, Azula's eyes widened and Suki finally looked at them. Then, they burst out laughing.

"Did you hear them?!" Azula cackled out.

"Yes! They think that we're-"

"Zuko and Katara-"

" _Together?!"_

Toph and Aang looked at each other. What was so funny about that? "Excuse us," she snapped as she rose to stand on her feet. "Why are you two laughing?"

Still, they ignored her to indulge in their laughing spell. Finally though, after about three full minutes, their laughter dwindled down to a series of light giggles.

Aang didn't think that he had ever seen them laugh so hard.

"Oh," Suki sighed out languidly as she leaned back on the desk on one hand and rubbed her stomach with the other. There was a lazy grin on her face. "I haven't laughed like that in a while. Thanks guys."

In her seat, Azula had a slight smirk on her face. "Oh, sit down, Toph. We just thought that it was funny, that's all."

Hesitantly and with a huff, Toph sat. Beside her, Aang raised a brow. He didn't get it. "What was so funny about that? We came asking you for help."

Suki blinked. "What's your point?"

"Give it to us," Toph and Aang said in unison.

Inwardly, Azula shuddered. She hated when they spoke together like that. It wasn't natural.

Suki looked to Azula. Toph and Aang couldn't see it, but there seemed to be some sort of an exchange because Azula nodded with a shrug.

"Do you know how long those two have been skirting around their feelings?" Suki asked. This time, the smile looked amused.

"Far too long," Azula answered before they could open their mouths.

"Two years, to be exact," Suki finished. She pointed her nail filer at them. "Why would we want to be involved in a relationship like theirs?"

"If you can even call it a relationship," Azula said."

"We can do anything," Suki continued. "But, I'm not so sure about helping _those_ two out."

Aang started. They were never so quick to back out of anything before. "Are you saying that you can't do it?"

Simultaneously, a look of disgust contorted their faces. "As if," Suki drawled out. "I just said that we can do anything, but I'm not so sure about helping them. That doesn't mean that we can't do it. It just means that helping those two would take a lot. We did mention that they've been skirting around their feelings for a while, didn't we?"

"They've _been_ beating around the bush for _three_ years, actually," Azula interjected with a snort. "If anything, we'd all get headaches instead of succeeding in getting them together. They're insanely and infuriatingly good at beating around the bush."

"It's like they've turned it into a sport," Suki said conversationally as she looked off.

"Ooh, I wonder who can deny their feelings more."

"Ooh, ooh! Pick me! I can! I can!"

"Ten points to who ever can deny the most."

"Oh, but what do the points represent?"

"Nothing. Nobody's getting any."

In one accord, Suki and Azula crossed their arms before they looked to Toph and Aang, challenging them.

Toph and Aang looked at each other. They were right. Attempting to get Zuko and Katara together was more like Mission - Impossible. They even had to resort to reaching out to Suki and Azula themselves. But, they already started and they had only, just barely, scratched the surface. They couldn't back down now.

Toph raised a brow and Aang seemed to be thinking. Then, he nodded.

Azula's eyes narrowed a bit. "Are you- Are you two _speaking_ with your _brains_ again?!" she spat out. She hated when they did that, too. It just wasn't _natural_.

Aang ducked his head with a cough. He seemed to be hiding a grin.

Toph didn't bother hiding hers. "So, you _are_ saying that you can't do it."

Suki went back to filing her nails. "No. We're not. It's not worth it. Let them handle it themselves."

There was a pause.

Toph looked to Aang with a laugh. "They can't help us."

With a laugh of his own, Aang shook his head. "No, don't count them out so early!"

"Come on. They're counting _themselves_ out."

"What do you mean?" He asked that a little _too_ innocently.

"They _can't_ do it."

"Nah, I think that they can. I just think that they're being lazy."

"You're right. They did say that they _could_ do it."

"Maybe all the time that they're spending here is wearing them down."

Toph tutted sympathetically. "They don't have enough energy for anything else."

"They're probably spent," Aang agreed with a nod.

"Worn out."

"Probably."

" _Definitely_ -"

There was a slam. They looked to see Azula standing with her palms flat against her desk and Suki gripping her nail file, her legs crossed tightly. They both looked infuriated.

The troublesome duo could barely hide the growing smiles on their faces. Oh, how quickly the tables have turned.

Azula had to admit that she and Suki did play right into the palms of their hands, but she didn't care. How dare those two come into their workplace and insult them like that? The way she saw it, anyway they went, they would lose. If they refused them, then they would look lazy, incompetent, and unable. If they didn't, they would look like pawns. However, Azula would rather choose to be the pawn of a plan and execute it perfectly, rather than to be seen as lazy and inefficient. She refused to lose.

Apparently, Suki thought the same. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke. "Sokka's told me that you two have got this _Operation: Zutara_ that you keep dangling in front of his face, but I didn't take it seriously. I know that you two and he were supposed show up at the Palace. You were going to spy. He was going to sabotage."

"The Palace," Azula mused to herself as she sat down. She sounded impressed.

"They never went to the Palace," Toph said. "Katara only told you that to send Sokka on some wild goose chase. They went to the harvest fest instead."

Suki and Azula looked surprised. "Then, it's a good thing that I stopped him from going," Suki said. Then, her brows raised. "Katara _lied_?"

Aang nodded. "That's the same thing we all said."

The two women seemed to be thinking before a calculating look dawned on Azula's face. "If she lied, then there may be hope for those two after all."

Toph bit back a grin. Now, they could finally make some progress. "So," she began. "You'll help us?"

Suki looked to Azula before regarding the two best friends. "My boyfriend is hoping to foil every single one of your plans."

"My brother is one half of Zutara," Azula said.

There was a pregnant pause before a simultaneous, "We'll think about it."

Aang glanced at Toph and the grin finally broke through. Maybe working on this operation wasn't so bad. Especially if it got his best friend to smile like that. A smile of his own slid onto his face as he looked to the other women. "That's all we were hoping for."

_When they were ten, Aang came to school bald. Bald, as in, no hair. His head was nice and shiny, reflecting whatever light hit it at just the right angle._ _Toph didn't know how to feel about it, nor how to react. As far as she knew, only old people had bald, shiny heads like that, but Aang was only ten. To make matters worse, he didn't even give her any type of warning. Weren't best friends supposed to warn each other whenever they made any sort of life changing decision? Baldness at age ten was_ definitely _a life changing decision. At least, it was in her eyes. So, as soon as the time for recess came, she approached him under the big oak tree as cautiously as she possibly could. If someone just went bald like that, someone who was her best friend, then it was obviously a delicate situation._

_She punched him in the arm, ignoring his "Toph!" before she crossed her arms. "What happened to your hair?"_

_As he rubbed his arm, he looked confused. "Huh?"_

_"Your hair," she repeated with a roll of her eyes, extending her neck. "Where did it go? Did you lose your hearing with it, too?"_

_With a laugh and a look of dawning realization, he pat his head. Then, he sat on the soft, green grass. "Oh, I shaved it off. My dad did it for me. Do you like it?"_

_She, honestly, wasn't sure. Aang did have weird hair, it was puffy and curly, and she had to admit that she teased him about it a lot, but she did like it. That - she wouldn't admit. "Did you shave it off because I kept teasing you?" she asked with a frown as she sat beside him under the tree's shadow. "I was only teasing. That's what best friends do, y'know?"_

_Good naturedly, he smiled with a nod. "Yeah, I know. But, that's not why I shaved it off._ _Besides," he started with a curled upper lip. "I'd never do something that serious because of something_ you _said. You're not that important."_

_She punched him. Hard._

_"Ow! Okay, okay!" He rubbed his arm. It was the same spot she had punched him in earlier. "I was_ kidding! _Best friends_ tease _, remember?"_

_"Yeah, yeah," she muttered with a wave of her hand. She knew that he hadn't meant that jab. "So, why did you shave your head?"_

_"My mom's sick and she's lost her hair," he said quietly. "She tries to stay happy, but I can tell that she isn't. So," he said suddenly and jovially, startling Toph a bit. "I thought that if I shaved my head for her that she would feel better."_

_Toph blinked. His mom was sick? She didn't know that. However, now that she thought about it, his mother had been looking skinnier, lately. Also, her own mother reduced the amount of time that she spent at Aang's house while he was always welcome at hers and could stay however long he wanted. "Did it work?"_

_He nodded. "Yup, there was a big smile on her face. A real one, this time." He tapped his chin. "She did start crying, though. But, she said that they were happy tears." He paused and hesitated for a bit. "My dad's proud of me."_

_Toph was proud of him, as well. So, she punched him in the arm, once again, ignoring the screeched 'Toph,_ seriously _!'. "If anyone bothers you, I'll beat them up."_

_He pushed her. "I don't need a midget_ girl _protecting me!"_

_She pushed him back, just as hard, if not harder. "Shut up! I'm going to protect you and you're going to like it!"_

Zuko didn't want to admit it to himself, but before he could even actually begin _Operation: Taang_ , he needed help. In other words, he would have to call for reinforcements and recruits. AKA: his younger sister Azula and her business partner, Suki.

Sitting on top of the desk of their office, Suki muttered to herself, "Well, aren't we popular today?"

Before Zuko could inquire as to what she meant by that, Azula, sitting in the large chair behind the desk interjected. "So, how may we be of service to you, Zuzu?"

"Toph and Aang are plotting to get me and Katara together with this _Operation: Zutara_. I'm helping them, but they don't know it."

Azula and Suki blinked. They definitely weren't expecting that.

Suki was the first to recover. "And how do you know that they are plotting to get you and Katara together?"

"I heard them talking about it before Katara and I went to the harvest festival."

Azula watched her brother. "You're helping them?" When he nodded and responded with a _'They don't know it, though',_ she continued. "And what would you like us to do regarding this situation?"

"I want you to help me." A pause. "With both operations."

Suki and Azula blinked. Talk about having a brain fart. First, Toph and Aang came to them, asking for help with _Operation: Zutara_. Then, just as they were on the verge of accepting, Zuko, himself, came to them proclaiming that he knew about _Operation: Zutara_ , that he was helping with it, and that there was _another_ operation. "What's the other operation?" Suki asked since Azula was unable to speak.

" _Operation: Taang."_

What the hell was going on with their friends? Still, Azula remained quiet, so Suki spoke. "You're attempting to get Toph and Aang together while helping them get Katara and yourself together? But, Toph and Aang don't know?"

Zuko hesitated before nodding. That sounded just about right. "Yup."

"I'm guessing that Katara doesn't know, either."

"She doesn't."

Suki pointed her nail file at him. "And you're helping them complete this _Operation: Zutara_."

Once again, he nodded. "I'm helping them complete it."

Suki's nail file pointed at him again as she hesitated to speak, stabbing the filer into the air before her. "How are you so sure that this _Operation: Taang_ will be a success? We're not going to be a part of something that fails."

"It won't fail," Zuko declared confidently. "I'm sure of it. I mean, they even kissed already."

A simultaneous, "What?!" and "When?!" filled the air.

Zuko nodded. "They did. At the teashop a few days ago. It was only to ward Koko away, but it was still a kiss."

Suki, who seemed to recover first, nodded. "Now that you mention it, Sokka did tell me that they kissed. He was there."

Azula wasn't interested in that. "If that kiss was only to ward off Koko, then it has no amount of significance. Those two, as strange as they are, put their friendship before everything."

"That's the same thing Katara said," Zuko mused.

Suki put a hand to her forehead. She could feel a headache coming. "Katara knows about your plan?"

Zuko shook his head, looking affronted. "Oh, no. I only talked to her about _Taang_ to plant the seed into her head."

Azula was proud. "Did it work?"

"Yes," he replied. "She was a bit reluctant, though. But, I did find something out."

"Which is?"

"Aang was Toph's first kiss."

That was when Suki stood with her hands to her head. "Those two have been best friends since she was three and he was four. Of course, he would be her first kiss."

"Katara thinks that they've got _history_ ," Zuko said with a whisper and the twirling of his fingers. "She said that those two have been through everything together."

"Things that we probably don't even know of," Suki said with a shake of her head.

"Katara said that, too."

Suki believed it. "When was Katara even saying these things?"

"When Toph and Aang locked us in the bathroom."

Azula wasn't even going to ask. She was tempted to join forces with Toph and Aang simply because of that one pathetic plan. "Katara's an excellent conspiracy theorist."

Zuko smiled. "Tell me about it."

"I will not."

Zuko's face fell.

Azula smirked before she looked to a still-pacing Suki. "Well, what do you think?"

"I'm not entirely too sure," Suki replied with a shake of her head before facing Zuko. "They came to us today, asking for help with this _Operation: Zutara_."

Zuko started. They had already come to Azula and Suki? Suki's comment from earlier now made sense. He had no doubts that this was Toph's plan. _Operation: Taang_ had barely just begun, and he didn't know how he had managed to do it, but he had already thrown her under the bus. He had completely forgotten just who it was that he was working with - Toph Beifong, herself. It came as no surprise how serious she was taking her operation, which meant that he had to take his just as seriously.

"Are you helping them?" he finally asked.

"We're undecided," Azula replied.

"For now, anyway," Suki said. "This really is an interesting turn of events. You've got Toph and Aang unwittingly working together with Zuko to pair Zuko and Katara together. Meanwhile, Zuko's working to get that troublesome duo together. It's like a movie."

Azula's mouth turned as she thought. "Are you choosing to get involved?"

"I'm not sure," Suki said. At this point, they were discussing business and to them, Zuko had disappeared. It didn't matter to him, though. "Sokka wouldn't appreciate me working against him."

"Are you suggesting that we split up?"

"Just because Sokka won't appreciate me working for him doesn't mean that that's going to affect my decision."

Azula's smirk grew. They were partners. They never split up. "So, what's our plan of action?"

Suki watched Zuko. "We'll remain neutral. As double agents."

Azula nodded. "Agreed. No one will know, except for us."

"Toph, Aang, Katara, and Sokka will have to think that I'm _completely_ neutral and uninvolved. Just to make sure that suspicions don't rise."

"And I'll work with Toph and Aang as their spy and informant."

Zuko shuddered. Hearing his baby sister speak so business-y never really sat well with him. This was his baby sister, after all. However, she and Suki were good at what they did, so he allowed it. "So, you'll help me?"

"We'll help you," Suki affirmed with a nod and the crossing of her arms. "Be warned, though. Since we're working on both sides, it means just what it says. We'll be working on one side just as hard as we'll be working on the other. "

Zuko nodded. "I have absolutely no problems with this."

"Also," Azula began. "If any relational problems arise between any of you, that is all on your hands. Strictly."

Zuko hesitated. What Azula insinuated was right. Just as Katara was. Toph and Aang's friendship ran deep, however Zuko had just begun. So, he nodded. "All me. Got it."

They didn't respond to that. Instead, Azula took her phone out, dialed a number, and waited for a bit. "I'm in," she spoke into the receiver. "Suki, however, isn't. She chooses to side with her boyfriend so, she will have no parts in this operation. I'll inform you of more details tomorrow." With that, she shut the phone.

Zuko nodded. Now, this whole thing would roll much more smoothly. "Remember, Katara doesn't know."

Suki nodded. "Katara doesn't know and we're just trying to get Zutara and Taang together. Got it."

"Now that the complicated stuff is over with," Azula started. "We can have some fun. We'll officially begin _Operations: Taang and Zutara_ with a dinner. You and Katara never made it to the Palace, correct?"

Zuko could only guess that Toph and Aang told her this. "Correct."

"Well, you two may finally have your romantic dinner," Azula said. "You won't mind a double date, will you?"

Zuko shook his head. Anything to get this thing started off.

"Very well," Azula said before Zuko could answer. "A double date at the Palace. Tomorrow at 7. I'll inform Toph and Aang in the morning."

As Suki and her brother conversed, Azula sent one, single text message: _"It's begun."_


	8. Chapter 8

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Eight

.

"Yeah, I think speculation keeps things really interesting."

― Adam Lambert

.

When _Operation: Zutara_ was first instated and established, Aang was extremely reluctant to be involved in any parts of it. In fact, the only reason that he eventually gave in and agreed to work with Toph on this project was merely because she was his best friend and if he didn't accept her offer, he would be roped into it _somewhere_ along the line, anyway. However, when Aang finally took the time to reevaluate his reasons, he found that deep down, he really was intrigued. Ever since they were young, Toph had the keen ability to bring out the mischievous part of him. Usually, this part of him only came out when he was joking around or while playing basketball, teasing his opponents on the court with an impish grin and a flighty giggle. He didn't know if she knew it (although, he was _pretty_ sure that she had a clue), but she did this - drawing out his mischievous part - well.

Now that Azula was involved, it seemed that this part of him wanted to come out and play more than normal. According to folklore, it was the pauper who was to spoil the princess, not the other way around. He wasn't sure how Toph would feel about being referred to as a princess, but that was besides the point. The point being that the mischievous part of him was piqued. Extremely piqued.

"Are you up to something?"

Aang halted in wiping the counter down to look at Zuko. They were at the teashop. Aang was working, but he wasn't sure what Zuko was doing there. Besides looking suspicious of him. "No. Why?"

Zuko looked unconvinced. "You've got that stupid, giggly look you always get when you're getting ready to play a game."

Was it that obvious? Nevertheless, Aang allowed his smile to grow and resumed wiping the counter down. "Can't a man be happy at work, making his simple money for his simple life?"

Zuko's gaze grew even more suspicious. "No." When Aang shrugged, Zuko decided that it was useless. Aang always was a strange one. "Speaking of games, when's your first?"

"This week." The answer was immediate simply because he was antsy. He missed competition. His smile grew impish. "In two days, to be exact. We're playing your alma mater. Are you going to come watch me aid in dousing the Fires flames?"

Zuko let that one roll off of his back. Everyone knew how fierce his school spirit _was_ , but he graduated. He didn't have to represent that team anymore. "I don't know how you're going to be 'dousing flames' with your nails all prettied up like that."

A customer approached them and Aang set the small towel down to take the money and put it into the register. When the customer put a hand out, signaling for Aang to keep the change, he smiled with a nod. "Thank you. Have a nice day." Then, he looked at his right hand before he shrugged. "I already told you that it's good luck."

Zuko looked scandalized. "How could wearing nail polish on your first game of the season possibly be of any type of good luck?"

"Well," Aang began as he crossed his arms. "Toph's my good luck charm. If I wear her favorite color, that'll double my luck. While I'm playing, I'll show a little hand action every now and then, scare the other team away, and we'll beat them. I'll repeat the process for every game. Then, I'll win the MVP award, thus ensuring my fairytale ending."

"I don't even know where to begin on how bizarre that is." When Aang laughed, he chuckled a bit. But, he did have one _clue_ as to where to start. "Your fairytale ending has one flaw: no beautiful woman by your side, celebrating in your victory."

Aang covered his face. "Oh, please. Not this again-"

"Good," Zuko interrupted giddily. "You already know where I'm going with this. That means that I don't have to give a backstory or a plot. It has to do with that good luck charm of yours."

"I don't need a beautiful _woman_ by my side," Aang said pensively and seriously. " _You're_ pretty enough to-"

"Very funny."

Aang smiled a bit too innocently. "What are you doing here, anyway? I don't think that your uncle would appreciate you bothering and distracting his star employee."

As if on cue, Iroh's loud, boisterous laughter rang through the room, followed by a train of titters and giggles, emitting smiles and laughter from everyone around. Honestly, all the old man did all day was play board games, drink tea, and gossip; all three with his circle of female friends. Old hags, Zuko called them.

Zuko couldn't deny that Aang was the teashop's best employee. With his amicable spirit and friendly, genuine smiles, the guy was good business for the place and an unwitting piece of eye candy. So, he decided to answer the question. "I've got today off. So, I just wanted to get a cup of relaxing tea before I head out with Katara later on."

Aang knew. Toph had forwarded him the text that Azula sent her that morning. Thus, drawing out his mischievousness even further. ' _Zuko's taking Katara to the Palace. For real, this time,_ ' it read. _'7 pm. Tonight.'_ But, Aang couldn't let Zuko know that he knew. So, he settled for playing dumb. "You're going out with Katara later?"

Zuko nodded. "Yes. We're going to the Palace."

Aang raised a brow, a grin sliding onto his face. "This is a date."

Zuko was surprised. Aang was a better actor than he had given him credit for. Had he not been in on this mission, Mission - Date Night, Azula called it, he would have believed that Aang had no knowledge of this date when he knew that he did. But, this was all too confusing for his brain to unravel. This was Azula's and Suki's forte, even Toph's and more recently revealed, possibly Aang's. Not his. So, he opted to brush the comment off. He wanted to verify that it was a date, but it had to be consensual on both sides. "Speaking of a date, I thought that the little midget would have told you. I was pretty sure that Katara told her that she wouldn't be in the house later on."

"Stop calling her that." He ignored the 'date' implication that was slipped in. Normally, Toph didn't have any problem with Zuko's little nicknames, but for some reason, she didn't want Zuko _specifically_ to hold any rights to calling her any type of nickname. Aang didn't know why and he didn't ask any questions, just as a best friend should. "She doesn't like it." Not anymore, at least.

Zuko almost snorted. "Well, aren't you the perfect knight in shining armor?"

"I never said that I was," he replied with a bit of a twitch in his mouth before another customer approached him to pay for something. When the transaction was complete, he regarded Zuko. "She's been complaining. Besides, only I can call her that."

A brow jumped. However, he didn't miss the growth of intensity in Aang's glare. That was when Zuko remembered that Aang would kill for Toph. But, they both knew that he wouldn't kill _in public_. At least, Zuko hoped that he wouldn't. "Are you laying claim?"

He had to be joking. "As if Toph would let anyone lay claim on her."

"So, you would _like_ to lay claim."

"Keep talking reckless. I'll tell her everything that you've been telling me and sic her on you."

Zuko's hands were immediately up in the air, a move of defense. "Woah! Hey! _Hey!_ Don't- _don't_ go talking crazy now!" When a smirk began to form on Aang's face, Zuko lowered his hands with a heavy sigh. "That girl is _not_ a good influence on you."

The story of the princess and the pauper popped into Aang's head. "Anyway, Toph did tell me that the house would be free." She also told him that they would be spying tonight. "But, she didn't mention that you and Katara would be going to The Palace." Needless to say, this was a lie.

"The house will be free, huh?"

"I'll call her, right now-"

"I _meant_ ," Zuko interrupted with a nervous giggle. "What I meant was that the house is now _free_ for you to _speak_ with Toph about the letter that you received today."

Earlier, Aang had stopped home before work, only to have his father hand him an envelope with the name of one of the most prestigious aviation schools stamped on it. Enclosed in this envelope was a letter offering Aang the opportunity to study and intern there. He was _ecstatic_. In fact, that letter sitting in his back pocket was probably the only reason why Zuko was still in one piece.

"Of course, I'm going to speak with her about it," Aang said with a shrug. "We tell each other everything. She's my best friend."

Not for long. But, that was besides the point that Zuko was attempting to make. "You're going to ask her for permission, right?"

Aang scoffed before a customer came to pay him. He put the money into the register and placed the change and receipt into the customer's hand with a smile. "Have a nice day." When the customer left, he raised a brow at Zuko. "Why would I need to ask her for permission? It's not like we're married."

Not yet. Once again, this was besides the point. "That school is in another country, Aang."

Oh, right. The one and only downside to transferring to that school was the fact that it was in another country: Europe. "That wouldn't be a problem. Would it?"

Zuko remained silent.

Aang's face fell and he gulped. "Would it?"

Zuko, honestly, didn't think that it would be a problem. What would Toph look like if she got all strung out over her best friend leaving to go to some other country to go to _school_? She definitely wouldn't be living up to the Toph Beifong reputation she had built up over the past few years. All in all, if Zuko were in Aang's place, he wouldn't worry. Toph was a big girl - inwardly, at least. But, he couldn't tell him that. He was trying to set them up.

So, Zuko sighed forlornly. "I really think that you should talk to her about this. This needs to be a serious talk." He had to lay it on him. Thick. Aang's capacity for guilt was _amazing_. "Don't forget to mention how long you're going to be gone, when you're going, the exact location of your future residency, why you're going, at exactly what time you received that letter, and from who."

Aang's jaw dropped.

"It's a woman thing," Zuko assured with a nod.

Before Aang could answer, the front door to the teashop jingled and in walked Toph Beifong, herself.

"Speak of the devil," Zuko murmured to himself. When Aang swallowed, the older man knew that he had done his part correctly.

"Twinkletoes," she greeted once she reached the counter. She placed her school bag on a seat before nodding to Zuko. "Grapevine."

Zuko blinked. That was a new one.

Not to Aang, though. This was the nickname that she used to refer to Zuko when she complained and revoked his nickname privileges for her. He didn't know what it meant, but it did roll off of the tongue rather nicely.

"Grapevine," Zuko repeated, testing the word on his tongue. "How did I get that one?"

The corners of Toph's mouth turned up. "I heard that you and Katara have got a hot date tonight."

He decided not to ask again about his new nickname. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know, anyway. "You've heard correctly."

"Ah," she said with a nod of approval. "So, you've taken to accepting that your little outings are dates. And _hot_ ones, at that?"

"Listen here, you little m-"

Aang cleared his throat.

Zuko met his eyes and it took all of his willpower not to shudder. Aang was against killing in public, but he would kill in public in front of Toph - especially if it was for her. That, he was sure of. Plus, he still had to act as clueless as he was before he found out about their operation, just to make sure that they wouldn't get suspicious. So, he settled for remaining quiet.

The only sign that Toph noticed was the mischievous twinkling in her eyes. "Where's it going to be at?"

"The Palace," Zuko answered.

"Fancy." With that, she looked to Aang, reaching over to punch him in the arm. When he clutched the spot she punched with a groan, she finally sat in the stool beside Zuko. "You're quiet today."

Aang opened his mouth to answer. Then, he shut it and looked to Zuko, who urged him on with a short nod and a wink for moral support. He met Toph's eyes. "I need to talk to you about something."

Zuko sneaked a thumbs up in.

This time, Toph didn't notice because her attention was set on Aang, though her brows did furrow. He was acting weird, but it couldn't have been anything too serious. "Fine. I need to talk to you about something, too. The committee for the winter social asked if I could get you to help out."

It had slipped Aang's mind that she was a part of that committee, simply because committees weren't her thing. That must have been why she got out of school so late. "Sure. What is it?"

"This year, the party is going to be a bachelor's auction to collect donations for some club." She held a hand up. "Don't ask me what club it is. I don't know and I don't care. What I _do_ know is money and how to make it."

Although Aang shook his head, he wasn't going to hold it against her. She did know money and how to make it. This was why they wanted her for the committee. He nodded for her to continue.

"Anyway, the girls seem to think that you'll sell for a lot of money," she carried on. "I don't know _why_ , but _they_ think that you're _extremely_ handsome."

" _Toph_."

There was a mischievous grin before she looked to Zuko. "Do you think that he'd sell for a lot, Grapevine?"

Once again, Zuko started at the new nickname. He met Aang's eyes for some sort of an answer, but he only shrugged, looking as confused as he was. So, he looked back to Toph. The mischief never left her eyes, which didn't sit well with him. "I think he'd sell. You should put his name down."

Toph nodded. "I agree, Grapevine."

What was _with_ that nickname? It wasn't any better than his other nicknames, but it did sound worse. Before Zuko could say anything, Aang interjected. "I'm not doing it. I'm not just some piece of meat."

Toph snorted. "You are to them. It doesn't exactly help that you're on the basketball team. I have to admit that you'll pull in a good amount of money."

Aang didn't miss Zuko's wink. He kept his eyes trained on Toph.

"Plus," she continued. "I promised that I would get you to do it. I never break a promise."

Aang nodded. "We'll see about that."

They stared at each other for a few moments. He stayed quiet because he knew that there was something else. But, she couldn't say it with Zuko around.

They both looked at him.

And that was Zuko's cue. Geez, he knew how to take a hint. He stood with a groan, stretching his arms out. "Well, kiddies, it's been real. See you later."

If only he knew how true that statement was. Well, he did know. _They_ just didn't know that he did. With a wave, Zuko made his way out of the teashop, the bells on the door jingling after him.

As soon as Zuko stepped out, one corner of her mouth curved up, giving her a devil-may-care look and reminding Aang just who his best friend was. "By definition, the word grapevine is used to refer to the circulation of rumors and unofficial information," she began. When Aang nodded for her to continue, she did so. "Apparently, when we locked Zutara in the bathroom the other day, all he did was speculate about that kiss that we had here."

Fortunately, this was when a customer chose to pay. Aang wasn't about to tell her everything that Zuko told him. Not because he wasn't a snitch - which he wasn't - but, because that meant starting from the beginning, which was roughly three or four years back. So, when the transaction was complete, he crossed his arms. "Why am I not surprised? He's a little gossip like his uncle." He never lied to Toph and technically, that wasn't one. That was just withholding information. Besides, he was sure that there were a couple of things that she kept from him, too.

She was too wrapped up in her story to notice or care. "There's a reason why I didn't tell Katara. She thinks that she's my mother. I told her that you were my first kiss and she's started making up all these house rules on when you can come over and for how long. So far, you can only talk to me for fifteen minutes at the front door with it open so that there will be witnesses from both sides, ie. her and whoever's nosy enough to be watching us."

Aang snorted with a laugh and she smiled a bit. Katara really did mean well with her smothering and motherly tendencies. Honestly, in being so motherly, she was actually doing the opposite of what Zuko was trying to do. Aang was fine with that. "So?"

She bit on her lip, thinking. "I know that we planned on showing up and just spying on their date tonight, but-"

"Sabotage?"

She nodded. They always seemed to know what the other was thinking. They always chalked that up to their best friend telepathy. "Extreme sabotage."

"Should we tell Azula?"

"I'll tell her that the original mission is canceled. We'll return to the operation afterwards."

There she went again, just drawing out that mischievousness in him. In all honesty, however, Zuko did deserve this for all of his instigating. This would teach him a lesson in instigating with _Toph_ and _Aang_. Plus, it had just been a while since they had wreaked some havoc on a poor and unsuspecting victim. It was just too bad that Katara had to suffer along with Zuko. This was a prime example of 'guilty-by-association'. He nodded with a grin. "I'm in."

"Good," she said with a grin of her own. Toph was good with the hell bringing by herself, but Aang was always her partner in crime and working with him always guaranteed success.

A crowd of people made their way into the teashop, which meant that it was rush hour. The teashop always grew flooded around this time since people were just getting off of work or taking in their break time before they had to go to work.

She stood to grab an apron off of a hook. She would always help out whenever the shop got too busy if she was available. "I really should start asking for a paycheck," she said as she rushed to take Aang's place in front of the register.

Aang made his way to begin pouring the tea. He hoped that he would have been given the time to speak with her about the letter, but he would have time later on. Zuko's words rang in his mind before he shook his head. They would talk and it would go well. Hopefully. "No one told you to help out, you spoiled brat."

"Keep talking, McBaldy." With that, she smiled at a customer and accepted their money before taking the change and placing it into their hand. "Thank you, have a nice day."

_"Aang," a ten year old Toph began. "I learned a new word today."_

_Last month, Toph's parents had gotten her a tutor and so, she had been learning a whole bunch of new words every, single day. He felt bad for her. So, he decided to indulge her. "What new word did you learn today?"_

_"Twinkletoes."_

_His nose scrunched up. That word didn't sound very smart. "What's that word mean?"_

_"Twinkletoes," she began reciting with her chin up and back erect. "A noun. A person who is nimble and quick on their feet." Her stance relaxed and she grinned. "It reminded me of you."_

_He laughed. He had to admit that it did sound like him._

_"Since you're bald and I can't call you 'Fuzzyhead' anymore," she declared with that impish grin of hers. "I've decided that this is your new name!"_

_"Toph!"_

_She laughed._

With a tired breath, Suki plopped down onto the matted floor of her dojo. She'd just finished a lesson with the kids and although she didn't want to admit it, she was tired. That was when Toph and Aang's teasing from the other day popped into her head. She laid down with one hand underneath her head and the other held her phone.

' _There's been a change of plans,'_ read the text that Azula forwarded to her from Toph.

She received the text during class. In all honesty, Suki was just waiting for Azula to-

Azula burst through the double doors, approaching Suki before she sat beside her.

Right on cue.

She shoved her phone into Suki's face. "Did you get my message?"

The phone was flat against the older woman's forehead and along her nose. All she saw was a bright light and blurred words. She couldn't read anything. "I _was_ reading it." When Azula huffed and retracted the phone, Suki sat up, put her own phone into her pocket, and reclined on her arms, blinking the light from her eyes. "Instead of you forwarding to me, I was expecting you to interrupt my class."

Azula dismissed the thought with a flourish of her hand. "Oh, please. I thought of it, but then I remembered how behind your class is. A text was suffice."

Suki glared at her, but she wasn't going to speak on it. Not now, at least. She would bring it up sometime later on and they could spar or something. Right now, they had business to handle. "There's been a change of plans," she said, putting the conversation back on track.

"Ah, yes." Azula perked up, her eyes growing calculating. "Those two are going to crash my brother's date. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed, worried, or if I want to laugh."

"It might be a combination of all three," Suki supplied sympathetically. "We did say that we would help them."

"We also said that we would help Zuko."

"Toph and Aang came to us first."

"So, we'll help them with this."

Suki tapped her chin before she raised a brow. "Should we tell your brother?"

When Suki stood up and held a hand out to her, Azula took it and let herself be pulled up. "No. We already told him that we would be working on both sides equally. He knows what he got himself into."

"Especially with those two," Suki laughed out.

Azula allowed herself a short grin and they began walking out of the dojo. The two really were amusing. She waited for Suki to shut the lights before they resumed walking. "You know your part, correct?"

Suki looked offended. "I'm not an amateur," she said in a very Azula-esque way. Then, she smiled a sly smile. "I think that your brother's in over his head with these two."

"As do I," Azula agreed with a shrug. "But, this whole operation, on both sides, really is amusing. It will continue to be amusing no matter how each operation ends. I was getting bored."

Suki grinned. She was getting bored, too. All they had been doing lately was working at the club with their respective jobs, day in and day out. They loved working with the children, but doing it everyday had become mundane. Sadly, their daily routine had them stuck in a rut. This was the perfect thing to get them out of that rut. "I knew that this would be fun."

Mission Three - Sabotage

In the living room of Toph's and Katara's apartment, Aang sat waiting for his best friend to come down. She sure was taking her sweet time getting dressed for a date that wasn't even hers. In fact, he was even dressed in a nice shirt and dress pants. "When are you going to be done?" he asked, calling out to her.

"When are you going to stop bothering me?" she asked from her room.

"I haven't _been_ bothering you!"

"What do you think you're doing now?!"

"I bet you'll look the same when you come down."

"I swear, I'll shut your bald head right up."

"I'd love to see you try."

"What did you have to talk to me about earlier?"

The letter. He ignored the fact that she switched the subject so abruptly. He couldn't believe that he forgot about that letter. He even kept it in his pocket so that he could show it to her. "Toph," he called out.

"Aang," she responded. It sounded like a question. She was probably wondering why he didn't say anything about her switching the subject of the conversation.

Why was he so nervous? Honestly, he wouldn't have been so nervous if it weren't for Zuko's little bugs in his ears. Toph was his best friend and they had never been separated from each other for more than a whole day, but they were older now. They could spend some time apart. Even if he wasn't sure if _he_ wanted to anymore.

Aang made a note to pay some _extra_ attention to the older man tonight. "T., this is serious."

"Are you growing your hair back?"

"Toph."

"Okay, this is serious."

"You know that I love you, right?"

"Of course you do. You're my best friend. You have to love me."

" _Toph_ ," he laughed out.

"Okay, okay. Same here."

He could hear the smile in her voice and that helped to relax him just a bit, but he was still nervous. So, he stood and began pacing. "Okay, I'm about to tell you."

"You're about to tell me."

"Get ready."

"I'm ready."

"Here we go."

"Here we go."

"Are you listening?"

"I've _been_ listening." She sounded irritated.

"The words are leaving my mouth now."

"Can you just tell me?!"

Oh, hell. Zuko was right. She was going to hate him. She was going to kill him. "Toph, this is me being serious."

A scoff. "This is me not believing you." Her voice sounded close.

He stopped in his pacing and turned around, only to find her coming down the stairs with her shoes in hand. He whistled lowly at the sight of her. That was worth the wait.

"I told you I'd shut you up." With that, she sat on the second to last step and slipped her shoes onto her feet.

He wasn't going to argue with that. So, once he had his full of staring and regained use of his mouth, he said: "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

"I'm always a sight for sore eyes."

"Quick, what's the definition of humility?"

"A modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness."

"You don't think that you need that?"

"I'm a Beifong."

He couldn't even come up with a proper argument for that because she was right. So, he chuckled. "You really do look nice."

She smiled and stood. "Thanks. You do, too."

"I bet you'd look even better without that rat's nest of a bun sitting on top of your head, though."

" _Aang_."

"Now that I think about it, I haven't seen your hair out in a while."

"You can't be serious."

He was and they both knew it. "I wonder how long it's gotten."

"Come on."

"It's got to be pretty long. That bun's huge."

She fought a smile. This was not a discussion that she wanted to be a part of or listen to. "Of course, the boy who cried bald is speculating about my hair length."

"This is a choice!"

"Of course it is." She walked past him and to the door, ignoring his glares. She opened the door and reclined on it. "Ladies first."

He snorted, but he stayed rooted in his spot. Not because of the comment, but because she really did look nice. He preferred to just look at her for the time being. Toph was his best friend, but he did appreciate beauty. It wasn't like they were in a rush, anyway. It wasn't their date. They were just going to crash one. "I won't be able to see past your hair while driving."

"I always see past your ears."

"Excuse me?"

"I know you heard me with those ears, Dumbo."

That was enough staring. He made his way over to her and with a grin, she rushed out before he could catch her.


	9. Chapter 9

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Nine

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"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

― Buddha

Mission One - Date Night

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Tonight, Zuko would be executing his very first mission of _Operation: Taang_. The mission, according to Azula, was for him to merely have a good time with Katara while she spied alongside Toph and Aang. This was a mission to get Toph and Aang to trust her with _Operation: Zutara._ Sure, they trusted Azula, but they trusted each other a whole lot more and kept the intimate details all to themselves. Zuko didn't have much to do, but he had to admit that he was a bit nervous about it. He may have been friends with intrusive and mission oriented people, but he couldn't have been any less than similar to them when regarding this. However, despite his lack of experience in this field, (the field of operations, spying, and completing missions, that is) he would follow through with what he had started and complete his plan. Both plans: aiding Toph and Aang in completing _Operation: Zutara_ and in turn, completing _Operation: Taang._

So, currently, Zuko was at the Palace, one of the most elegant restaurants in town, with Katara. The evening was going perfectly, so far. The hostess was polite, all of the food on the being carried around looked and smelled delicious, they both looked spectacular, and the atmosphere and whole room absolute exuded grace and romance. In fact, it was all going a little _too_ perfectly.

Katara looked around the restaurant with a smile, stars twinkling in her eyes. "Thanks for taking me out, Zuko. I really needed to get out of the house."

The only answer that was provided was a short grunt. Don't get him wrong - he was definitely glad to finally have Katara all to himself and have some alone time with her after being spied on by those two brats every other time he attempted this. Especially since he was already particularly nervous about this whole thing. But, this time, he was actually in on it. _He_ was in on _their_ plan. Which meant that he was supposed to be spotting Toph's pale, jade eyes and Aang's shiny, bald head past Katara's own head, and Azula hidden in those bushes. Just where his sister told him that they would be hiding.

"Zuko," Katara said as she waved a hand in front of him. She raised a brow. "Are you okay?"

He wasn't sure. Those two were supposed to be there spying on them. So was Azula. He was told that Suki wouldn't be involved in this plan because she was going to keep Sokka from crashing. But, where were those three? "I'm fine," he said. If there was a change in plans, Azula and Suki would have informed him of it.

Right?

He let an easy smile slide onto his face because of Katara's anxious look. "Just spaced out."

Katara didn't look convinced, however she almost nodded. That was when she blinked and pointed past his head. "Is that Suki and Sokka?"

What?

Zuko looked behind him to see Sokka and Suki, _in the freaking flesh_ , walking up to their table with those stupid grins on their faces. What were they doing _there_? Not only was he stuck wondering where Toph, Aang, and his sister were, but he now had to deal with Sokka's overprotective older brother syndrome. He was pretty sure that Suki was supposed to be handling Sokka, not leading her boyfriend and overprotective brother of Zuko's love interest right up to him. Nevertheless, he stood to greet them.

When Sokka and Suki finally made their way to the table, Katara put a hand to her forehead. She sighed. "Of course. What are you doing here?"

Sokka kept his eyes on Zuko, but not before smiling at Katara - in a normal overprotective, older brother manner. "I just wanted to treat my girlfriend to a lovely dinner."

Suki beamed.

Zuko wasn't amused. "You guys had to come _here_?" This was directed at Suki.

She knew it. "Didn't you hear? My boyfriend wanted to treat his girlfriend to a wonderful dinner."

"It's not like we knew that you two would be here, anyway," Sokka said with an elegant wave of his hand. "Just think of this as the stars aligning and working in my favor. Now, I can supervise your date."

Immediately, Katara stood to berate her brother as harshly as she could in the restaurant.

Zuko took the distraction to speak directly to Suki. "You were supposed to be keeping him busy."

"Technically, I am."

"By bringing him to the restaurant that you knew Katara and I would be at?"

In a flash, a smirk was on her face. "I wasn't kidding when I said that we work for both sides equally."

Zuko started. What was that supposed to mean? As if the universe sensed his desire to know just whatever the hell was happening to him, he spotted Toph and Aang at the front desk.

What. Was. Happening?

Suki cocked a brow at Zuko, smirk still in tact, before she turned to hug Sokka's arm with a grin. "Look, Sokka. It's Toph _and_ Aang!"

Katara looked at Zuko. "What do you think they're doing here?"

That was when Zuko remembered the seed that he had planted. Although he was thoroughly confused at the moment, he could use this strange change of events to his advantage and continue to draw Katara in as a teammate. He shrugged, a bit of a smile on his face. "Maybe they're having their own little date night."

Her cheeks flushed, just a bit, at the words 'date night' (a look that he found adorable and extremely fitting of her), but she didn't look pleased. In fact, she had that ' _Mother, May I?_ ' look on her face as she crossed her arms. Reminding him of how much of a mother that he forgot that Katara thought that she was.

You had to be kidding him.

Zuko almost face palmed, but he resisted the urge when he saw that troublesome duo approaching them. He need to find out what they were doing looking nice and coming toward them when they _should_ have been dressed in all black and hiding behind bushes with Azula as they spied on him and Katara.

When they finally reached them, Toph blinked as she looked them all over, a look of confusion on her face. "Well, we definitely weren't expecting to see you all here."

Zuko didn't believe that for one second and it wasn't just because of how fake that confusion looked on her face. "I definitely told you guys that we would be at The Palace, tonight."

Toph and Aang looked at each other, an incredulous expression on their faces. "Oh!" Aang exclaimed. "You meant _this_ Palace? I thought that you meant the _other_ Palace two towns over."

Sokka blinked rapidly at the new information. "There's-there's _another_ Palace two towns over-"

"No, you idiot!" Zuko interrupted. Just what the hell was going on? "What are you two doing here?" he asked before Sokka could retort. "Are you two finally on your first date?"

Katara's back was erect and her crossed arms pulled tighter. "Are you?"

In unison, they snorted. "As if I would ever go out with him," Toph said.

Aang didn't look insulted. In fact, he looked intrigued.

Before Zuko could further analyze this, Toph stepped up to him and cocked her head to the side, a look of innocence on her face. "We just wanted to have a good time."

He blinked. "A good time?"

Behind Toph, Aang nodded and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Yes. A good time. Is that a problem, Zuko?"

Zuko saw that in Aang's eyes, there were specs of mirth and mischievousness dancing within their depths. Needless to say, this didn't sit well with him. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know one thing: he was in trouble tonight. So, he mustered up a brave smile. "Who am I to keep you two from having a good time?"

Katara gave a huff. She knew exactly who she was to keep them from having a good time. "I'm sitting between you two."

"Awkward. Causing difficulty; hard to do or deal with."

That was what Toph _would_ have said if Zuko could have mustered up enough courage to ask her what definition of the word was. Instead, they were all sitting around the table in silence. He sat in between Sokka and Toph, while Katara sat in between Toph and Aang with that stern look on her face. Suki, however, looked on in amusement beside an oblivious Sokka.

" _I wasn't kidding when I said that we work for both sides equally,"_ echoed Suki's voice in his head.

There was definitely a change of plans that Zuko wasn't made aware of. But, he did agree to all of their terms and conditions. He had to play it safe tonight - meaning that he had to roll with the punches. All of them. And from the looks that he was receiving from Toph and Aang, there would be a lot of them to dodge.

Yup. _Awk_ -ward.

So, it was entirely too safe to say that he was relieved when Katara opened her mouth to speak. She didn't do well with tension, especially tension that sat and simmered between her friends. She smiled with a clap. "Well, isn't this just wonderful? Look at all of us old friends, sitting together and getting ready to have a wonderful dinner!"

Beside her, Toph groaned. Geez. With all of their plans to destroy Zuko, she and Aang had somehow managed to forget how incredibly long winded and sentimental Katara could be. "Where's the waiter?"

"You mean, the _waitress_ ," a voice corrected from behind Zuko. A voice that sounded like Azula.

Wait. Azula?

Zuko turned in his seat to find that it was, indeed, his baby sister standing behind him in a waitressing outfit, cradling menus in her arms. She wasn't supposed to be standing behind him in a waitressing outfit and cradling menus - she wasn't supposed to be _standing_ anywhere _near_ him. She was supposed to be _spying_ on him and Katara with Toph and Aang behind those _stupid bushes!_ He was so tempted to rip his hair out, straight from his own scalp. "Tell me," Zuko deadpanned. "What are _you_ doing here, baby sister?"

Azula merely blinked. "I've decided that as a strong, brilliant, and gorgeous independent young woman of the 21st century who don't need no man-"

"Right on!" Suki cheered with a fist in the air.

"-That I needed to get a second job to support myself," she completed as if no one had said anything. With that, she began passing the menus around.

Now, Zuko wasn't so sure if he could believe that. His little sister was a pretty good actress. "I'm pretty sure that your job at the center pays you enough."

"Well, I wholeheartedly support Azula's decision to get a second job," Aang said jovially before he looked to Toph. Which really was a task in itself because Katara had that scary, back-up-from-my-cub look on her face. "Don't you think so, T.?"

"Why don't you ask me, Aang?" Katara asked before Toph could answer. "I mean, we _are_ sitting right next to each other. You could even call us seat buddies. In fact, at this very moment, we're so close that if something were to slip from my hands, say any type of sharp utensil, it would fall _right_ _into_ you. I _am_ left handed, you know, and you _are_ sitting at my _left_ side," she finished with a smile.

Everyone sweat dropped.

Aang blinked before he met Toph's eyes. She urged him to answer with a frantic nod and wide eyes. Then, he look back at Katara. Geez, she wasn't kidding. "How-how do you feel about Azula's decision to get a second job, Katara?"

She smiled a bit too brightly. "I think it's wonderful. Thank you for asking." With that, she began looking through her menu.

Aang scooted away as discreetly as he could.

Toph rolled her eyes. The only good thing about Katara's overprotectiveness was the fact that it blatantly clashed with Zuko's views. Speaking of Zuko... She looked to him with a smile. "Mother Katara, over here, doesn't seem to like the idea of Aang and I being on a date, does she?"

Zuko hesitated before he chuckled nervously. "No, I suppose she doesn't."

She rested her elbow on the table and placed her chin into her palm. "How would you feel about Aang and I going out on a date?"

"Which you aren't," Katara declared with a glance at Aang's direction.

Aang swallowed. Hard.

Toph kept her eyes on Zuko. He was attempting to appear nonchalant as he sipped his water, but she could tell that she was getting to him. "We're friends," she continued sweetly. "I'd love to know your opinion, Grapevine."

Zuko choked on his water. Everyone looked at him, but he paid them no mind. What was _with_ that nickname? He didn't know what it meant, but as he choked, he realized one thing: she knew about his speculations. He didn't know how much she did know and he was pretty sure that Aang didn't tell her anything, but the fact that _she knew_ only caused him to choke even harder.

Sokka, who couldn't care less if Zuko choked to death right beside him in that very restaurant (which was literally happening at the moment), looked offended. "Hey! He got _another_ nickname?! How is it that _this_ guy gets five new nicknames every other week?! All I've got is Screechy!"

Suki pat his arm sympathetically.

"I'm not so sure if you would want to be jealous of that name," Aang supplied.

"So, you can stop complaining, Screechy," Toph finished.

"I'm not screechy!" Sokka screeched out, prompting everyone around to glare and cover their ears. Once again, he couldn't care less.

Azula giggled behind a hand and suddenly, it all began to feel so familiar.

Katara looked curious. "Toph, Sokka's had that same nickname for the past thirteen years."

Toph shrugged. "I can't help it if Zuko's so entertaining."

Simultaneously, cries of " _I'm not entertainment!"_ and _"I can be entertaining!"_ were thrown into the air.

Suki, who had just been enjoying the pre-show, sat up with interest. "Why did you give Zuko a new nickname, anyway?" She may have been a small part of this mission, recruited only to bring Sokka, but she didn't know anything about the new nickname.

Toph and Aang blinked, right before they both said, "Because Zuko's a gossiper," as if it was obvious.

Azula shuddered and began collecting the menus. That was definitely her cue. Goodness, she hated when they spoke in unison like that. "I'll be right back with your orders." With that, she took her leave, carrying the menus away in her arms.

Zuko sputtered, not even bothering to acknowledge the fact that none of them had even ordered anything. "I am _not_ a gossiper!"

Toph nodded vehemently. "Yes, you are!" She jabbed a thumb in Katara's direction. "Sweetness, here, told me!"

Katara immediately began choking on air. "I did no such thing!"

"Yes, you did," Aang agreed with a nod.

Katara glared at him.

Immediately, his hands were up in a sign of defense. "I mean, you didn't," he corrected himself. "You-you totally didn't."

Toph stood and slammed her hands on the table, making everyone at the table and several others around them jump. "Aang!"

His hands shook in front of him. "She's going to let sharp utensils fall _right into_ me!"

Sokka snorted. He looked unimpressed. "I could have told you that Zuko's a gossiper. His uncle's the biggest gossiper I know."

"That's the same thing we said, " Aang agreed with a nod.

What were they going on about? Zuko stood as well. "I'm not a gossiper! I don't deserve this nickname!"

Then, Sokka stood and jabbed a finger in the air. "I agree! Take that nickname away from him immediately!"

Suki raised a brow and relaxed into her seat. "I think that it rolls off of the tongue quite nicely."

Once again, Aang agreed with a nod as he contemplated her words. "I think so, too. Grapevine."

"Grapevine," Suki said to herself.

"Grape- _vine_."

" _Grape_ -vine."

"The vine of the grape."

"The grape which grows from the vine."

"Too long."

"I thought so, too-"

"No," Zuko interrupted. Why was this feeling so familiar? "That's not my name. Zu-ko. That's my name."

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, call him by his name."

"Thank you," Zuko sighed.

"Don't thank me," Sokka demanded. "You don't deserve a new nickname. I do!"

Now, he knew why this all felt so familiar. This was how he got the nickname 'Sparky'. Which meant that if he didn't stop this, 'Grapevine' would become his new nickname without a doubt. "You've got to be kidding-"

That was when a man dressed in a suit and tie approached them. "Excuse me," he interrupted in a high, snooty British accent and with an air of arrogance. "A few of my good and _quiet_ patrons have sent complaints about this table and-"

Toph held a hand up, keeping her eyes on Zuko. "Shut up."

He gasped and placed a delicate hand over his chest. " _I_ am the _manager_ of the establishment and you will respect me-"

Toph couldn't care less. "By definition, the word grapevine is used to refer to the circulation of rumors and unofficial information."

"And just what does that definition have to do with me?" Zuko asked. He, honestly, didn't get it.

"Well," the manager said. "In all my years of working in the business of fine dining have I ever experienced such blatant disrespect!"

With a roll of her eyes, Toph spun on her heel and turned to face the manager. "My name is Toph Beifong." When the managers eyes widened and a few of the customers gasped, she smiled sweetly. She normally didn't just shout her name out like that, but that manager was getting on her nerves. He was forcing her to live up to her brattish tendencies. "You and your precious, good, and _quiet_ patrons can take my name and my parents money and shove it right up your asses."

This time, Katara stood. "Toph!"

The manager and everyone watching gasped. "Well, I never!"

Then, Aang stood. "You just did."

Zuko looked around. What were those two doing? "You two brats are going to get us kicked out! Is that what you want?"

Toph looked at him and Aang grinned a bit.

Oh, hell. They were going to get them all kicked out of the restaurant.

"The other day," Aang started before Zuko could say anything. "Toph and I accidentally locked Katara and Zuko in the bathroom."

"Accidentally," Zuko murmured.

Aang ignored that. But, his grin did grow. Seeing Zuko sweat like that gave him a strange sense of pride. "Apparently, all he did while he was in there was gossip about the kiss T. and I had at the teashop."

Suki, the only one sitting down, smiled to herself. "This is better than Jerry Springer." So, she turned to the tables behind to her, offering the basket of bread. "Anybody want some since this snobby place doesn't serve popcorn?"

Hesitantly, a man reached a hand out before the woman sitting with him slapped his hand.

Finally, Azula returned with a tray of pies and began placing them each in front of their respective owners, ducking under the standing bodies. When she finished, she made a move to take the tray back. Then, she felt a tingle at the back of her head. She turned to the manager. "May I help you?"

He raised a brow. "You're in a waitressing outfit. Yet, I don't recognize you."

"That's because I don't work here, silly," she said with a chuckle before she looked back at the table housing her friends. "Enjoy your meal." With that, she left with the tray.

The manager's jaw dropped and hung for several seconds before he loosened his tie. "I don't know _what's_ going on here, but you lot need to-"

"And just how would you know that I was gossiping about that?" Zuko interrupted. Let's get this straight: he, most definitely, _was_ gossiping about about Toph and Aang. He was gossiping _exactly_ about what they accused him of gossiping of. In fact, he was honest enough with himself to admit that he deserved that nickname and that it did fit him rather well. But, how would he look if he didn't fight for his name? He wouldn't look like much if you asked him.

"Katara said so!" Toph and Aang exclaimed in unison.

Said person began her second bout of choking on air.

Sokka shrugged, still unimpressed. He just didn't get how Zuko was getting all of these nicknames. "So, Zuko's a gossip queen like his uncle-"

"Hey!"

Sokka paid him no mind. "I still don't think that he deserves a new nickname."

Toph and Aang seemed to be genuinely contemplating that. "You're right," Aang said.

Sokka blinked. "I am?"

Zuko's brows knitted, Katara's eyes widened, and Suki's face dropped. "He is?" they asked simultaneously.

Then, a pie was shoved right into Zuko's face.

There was a resounding gasp from everyone around, including the manager, before they all grew quiet.

Toph lowered her hand, a look of content on her face. "He deserves that instead."

It seemed that all of the patrons had grown a bit of a bond in waiting for Zuko to respond and/or retaliate. Finally, after a moment, the pie plate fell off of his face and onto the ground with a _splat!_ before he wiped the pie from over his eyes and licked his lips. "You. Little. Brat."

Katara, who was unsettled by all of the pie on his face, shirked back. "Zuko, you've got a little pie on your-" She stopped short. "Everywhere."

Aang waved a finger at Zuko. "Ah, ah, ah," he tutted. "Now, what did I tell you about-"

Everyone around gasped when Zuko smushed his own pie into Aang's face. Which prompted Suki to stand and do the one thing that any sane person who was in that very same predicament would do.

"Fooooood fiiiiiiight!"

And on that day, the Palace experienced it's very first food fight.

Currently, they were all standing outside, covered in pie, because they got kicked out of the restaurant. It was all totally worth it, though. As they were all being escorted (dragged out, in Zuko's case), they did have several people approach them in thanks for a change in their normally routine evenings. However, was _definitely_ worth it through Toph and Aang's eyes when they saw Zuko getting chewed out by the manager who was covered in pie bits, as well.

"And don't come back!" The manager shrieked before he met Toph's eyes.

She smiled.

" _Especially_ not with _her_!" With that, he shut the door, which couldn't really shut in the first place, but slid shut. So, until the door did finally and totally slide shut, the manager glared at Zuko through the transparent glass until it did. Then, he spun on his heel, muttering and shaking as he stomped off.

Toph laughed to herself. Mission - Sabotage was complete.

Beside him, Aang regarded Azula and Suki. "Thanks for helping out on such short notice, guys."

Azula shrugged. "It's all in a day's work. Besides," she mused as she watched Katara attempt to calm Zuko down. It was nice to see someone care so much for him, even if they were too proud or oblivious to admit it. "It's amusing to see my brother so anxious like that."

Suki was busy picking off the pie pieces from her dress. "It's too bad that they banned us," she said with a mouthful of pie as she arranged Sokka's jacket around her. Where was he, anyway? "This pie is good."

Curiously, Toph picked some pie pieces from her own dress. It was too bad that the dress was messed up, but it wasn't like it was hers anyway and she was lucky that Katara didn't notice it. She just had to get it cleaned up before the older woman did. "I'll pull some strings and we'll be back."

Aang shook his head. Of course, this was his best friend. A gust of wind blew, sending shivers down his spine. It was pretty chilly. If he was cold, then Toph must have felt even colder. With that thought, he shrugged his own jacket off and placed it over her shoulders.

Immediately, she began picking the pie pieces off of the jacket and stuffed them into her mouth.

Aang scoffed a bit, but there was a smile on his face. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he observed Zuko and Katara, still standing in front of the restaurant door. She was done talking him down. Instead, they were standing a bit closer. "Do you think they'll hate us?"

Suki shook her head. "There's a strong possibility that Zuko might, but Katara won't."

Toph snorted. "It serves him right. This'll teach him to keep my name out of his mouth."

Suki and Azula glanced at each other. "He'll just be quieter about it," the latter said. "Believe me."

Aang didn't doubt that. A light laugh escaped Katara's mouth and Zuko stepped closer. "I do think that some good came out of this night, though."

"Besides shutting Zuko up?" Toph asked.

Aang nodded.

The three women looked at him. Then, Azula's lip curled in contempt. "What other kind of good could have _possibly_ come out of this entire situation?"

Aang pointed. "They're going to kiss."

All three women nearly broke their necks to find the scene and true enough, Zuko and Katara were about to kiss. It really was just like a Disney movie. He had an arm around her and she stood on the tips of her toes to touch her lips to his. It seemed that _Operation: Zutara_ was already coming to an end.

That was when a screech was heard. A screech that sounded distinctly like Sokka saying, _"Katara, what are you doing?!"_

Simultaneously, Katara and Zuko smacked their hands over their faces.

Or not.

Of course, _Operation: Zutara_ wasn't about to end. It wasn't even close to ending because along with two stupid idiots who were too proud to admit their feelings to each other ( _who were about to freaking kiss!_ ), there was also a protective older brother involved. So, Toph took her shoes off and handed them to Aang. "Hold these. I'm going to go kill him." She took off for Sokka.

Suki sighed before she took off after Toph. "I have to stop her. She'll actually kill him." With that, she sprinted to catch up.

Aang wasn't about to get involved. In fact, when he heard Toph's grunted, _"Sokka, you idiot!"_ as she yanked at his hair and Suki began attempting to pull her away and a shrieked, " _Get her off me!"_ followed, he decided that he definitely wasn't going to get involved. Yup. He was just fine with being the shoe holder.

Beside him, Azula crossed her arms. "That's _your_ best friend."

When Toph shrugged his jacket off to thoroughly maim Sokka and his shrieks pierced the air, Aang couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. "Tell me about it."

Azula glanced at him before a smile of her own grew.

After they managed to pry Toph from off of Sokka and kept her away from him, each person left with their respective date, save for Azula, of course. While it would have made sense for Katara and Toph to leave together, everyone agreed that it wasn't safe for Zuko and Toph to be in the same vicinity, yet. Not after she and Aang had effectively ruined his first mission, caused a food fight, and got them all kicked out and banned from the restaurant. Of course, Zuko didn't tell Katara that. Still, the emotions were felt and would be respected.

So, Aang didn't complain about Toph getting passenger's seat of his car getting dirty. His seat was just as dirty. Plus, he could use the car ride to finally talk to Toph about that letter. He felt that same tinge of hesitance that he did earlier and he instantly regretted not pummeling Zuko just as he promised himself that he would have done.

"What's your problem?" Toph asked as she watched his knuckles turn white along the steering wheel. "You've been acting weird all day."

Of course, she could tell. She was his best friend, which meant that she could also tell when he was lying. So, he shrugged and opted for a vague answer. "I helped you at the restaurant, didn't I?"

She sucked her teeth. What was his problem? It was making her skin crawl. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

He hesitated for a bit when he saw the turn for her apartment. "I'm nervous about something."

Her brows knitted together when he parked. What could he have been nervous about? "Is this about what you were going to tell me earlier?"

Once again, he hesitated before he nodded.

"Why would you be nervous?" When he didn't answer, she rolled her eyes. She would get it out of him. So, she stepped out of the car. "Are you coming in?"

As nervous as he was, he needed to be brave and talk to her about it. He just didn't know why he was so nervous. However, when she shut the car door and began walking off to her house, he wasn't surprised. He spotted his jacket in the passenger's seat. Apparently, she didn't feel like waiting for an answer and it was, most likely, because she already knew what it would have been. He knew it because she was already inside and had left the door open for him. "I'm coming," he said to himself as he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out to shut the door. "I'm coming."

When he finally made it inside, he shut the door, only to turn around and come face to face with Katara. He jumped. " _Woah_ -hey-you-I was _not_ expecting to see you there. I mean, hey- Hey, Katara."

She merely arched a brow. She was still dressed, save for being barefooted, so she must have arrived not too long ago. "Didn't Toph tell you about our new ground rules?"

Woah, she was serious about that, too? "Fifteen minute conversation with the door wide open."

"Is that door open?"

"N-no?"

"Are you asking me?"

Holy hell, she was totally serious about _all_ of this. "No, sir."

She stepped forward.

He stepped back. "I mean, no ma'am! _Ma'am_!"

Toph stepped in with a look of disgust. It really was disgusting. Katara's mothering facing off against Aang's punk attitude sent shivers down her spine. Not the good ones, either. "Step on her if you need to."

" _Toph!_ " They both berated.

Whatever. Toph stepped forward to grab Katara's shoulder. "It's Aang," she said as she began leading Katara away.

Katara kept her eyes trained on Aang as she was being dragged away. Effectively, creeping him the hell out. "I don't care who it is-"

Toph pushed the older woman into the kitchen. "Go away!"

"You two better stay in this room with the lights on and speak loudly- _Mmh!_ " Toph's hand muffled her threats before she pried the hand off. She took a breath and appeared to be composing herself. Then, she glared at Aang. "As I was saying, speak loudly. I'll be listening from in here." With that, she turned her nose up and stepped into the kitchen.

Aang, who had his back against the wall the entire time, blinked when Toph sat on the couch as if nothing had ever happened.

She reclined into her seat and rested her feet on the coffee table, something that Katara hated. "Aren't you going to sit?"

Quickly, his eyes flashed to where Katara previously stood. "I think that it would be better if I stayed here."

Katara's, " _You're damn straight,_ " was heard loud and clear from the kitchen.

He swallowed before quietly whimpering. "She's going to kill me, T. She's going to let sharp things fall into me."

_"Mh-hmm."_

When Aang's eyes widened (which really was impressive considering how big his eyes already were), Toph laughed. "She won't," she assured him. "Because you're not my boyfriend. Did you hear that, Katara?"

Hesitation. Then, _"I'm still listening."_

Aang didn't mind. Katara could probably protect him from Toph when he finally told her about the letter. So, he approached her and sat in front of her and beside her feet on the coffee table. "Toph."

She nodded. "Aang."

_"Ahem."_

Oh, right. "And Katara." He could practically see her nodding for him to continue. As intimidating as Katara was at the moment, she was definitely doing a good job of taking the edge off. Not all of it, though. With a sigh, he rested his arms over his legs.

Toph's eyes narrowed. "Seriously, are you growing your hair back? Because if that's what this is about, believe me, I won't have a problem with it, even though I've gotten used to having your bald head blind me every other thirty minutes-"

"I got a letter today."

She resisted the urge to smile. Nagging him always got him to talk. That was a trick she learned from Katara - she _always_ nagged so, Toph was perfect at it. "Okay. What's the letter about?"

"School," he replied.

Her brows knitted. He got a letter from _school_? The only letters that Aang received from schools were always good ones and the vibe that she was getting from him was _not_ good. "Are you failing out or something?"

He shook his head, but he did chuckle a bit. "No, it's a letter from another school. An aviation school. A _top_ aviation school. They want me to come study there."

"Oh," she said with a grin. "That's awesome! Why were you so nervous to tell me?" She stood and began making her way into the kitchen. "Hey, Mother Dearest, did you hear that?"

_"Congratulations, Aang!"_

"Yeah, thanks." He didn't get to tell her the second part. So, he stood and grabbed her arm before she could step into the kitchen. "Wait, T."

She looked at his hand on her arm before arching a brow at him with an incredulous smile and a scoff. She normally didn't have any problems with him touching her, but he was acting weird. She didn't want him touching her at the moment. "Did you ask if you could touch me?" With that, she slipped from his grip and continued her journey for the kitchen. "How long are you going to be studying there?"

"Not sure," he said hurriedly as he moved to stand in front of her, blocking her from getting into the kitchen. "I have to work that out with my advisor."

She watched him suspiciously. "Okay," she said slowly. "You told me. You can stop freaking out. Now, get out of my way-"

"It's in Europe," he blurted out.

Toph stopped and a chair's squeak could be heard from the kitchen.

_"I-I'll stay in here and-and cook or something."_

Toph really was happy for him - emphasis on the _was_. As in, past tense. It wasn't the proper reaction for a best friend to have, especially when her best friend was being recruited by a top aviation school, which was basically his dream. But, that school was in Europe. Literally, the other side of the world. "Europe," she repeated in the silence.

Slowly, Aang nodded. "Europe."

"Are you going?"

"I'm not sure."

"Aang, if you go-"

"I know."

" _You're_ the one who said that-"

"I know!" he interrupted with his hands in the air. "I know what I said!"

She scoffed and stomped a foot on the ground. "Don't yell at me! If you know what you said, then why the hell are you even coming to me about all of this?!" On that note, she walked around him and into the kitchen.

He followed after her. "Toph, I know what I said, but that was-"

"A long time ago," she completed with a snarl. "It doesn't matter. You said it. Not me."

Katara, who was enjoying a nice glass of water, hesitated a bit with a nervous smile. She was just fine with listening to them argue from another room, but she wasn't a court-side-seats kind of girl. So, she looked at the glass in her hand. "I can- I can definitely drink this somewhere else. There's no rules against that," she giggled to herself before walking out.

They didn't even notice. "I know what I said," Aang attempted as they circled the table. "And yes, it was a long time ago, but we're older now and this is a great opportunity for me."

She knew. The brat in her just didn't care. Suddenly, she stopped circling the table with a stomp, prompting him to do the same. She set her fists at her sides. "It wasn't that long ago! Do you know what a promise is?"

Was she seriously about to start quoting dictionaries again? Nevertheless, he nodded exasperatedly. "Yes. I know what a promise is."

"Promise," she declared and he groaned with his head in his hands. "A declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that particular thing will happen."

"I know what the hell a promise is!"

"If you did, you wouldn't just go off breaking them!"

Goodness, what an infuriating woman. "You're such a selfish brat!" He spun on his heel to step out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Toph started for a moment before she followed. " _I'm_ the brat?!"

Katara, who was sitting on a couch and sipping on her glass of water, jumped. "Okay," she said as she stood. "I'll be out. Again-"

" _You_ are the brat!" Aang continued undeterred.

" _I'm_ not the one breaking promises to my best friend for some fancy school in Europe!" Toph shouted back.

Standing off to the side, Katara's jaw dropped. She had seen them fight before. Hell, she had even seen them beat each other into bloody pulps before, but she had never seen their emotions run up so high. "Guys, maybe you should call it a night and talk it over in the morning-"

"Didn't you hear me?!" Aang asked. "This is a good opportunity!"

Katara nodded to herself. "And I'm being ignored. Again." With that, she reclaimed her seat on the couch and began sipping her water.

"Fine!" Toph yelled back. "If it's such an _amazing_ opportunity, then go! I don't care! Go to Europe, Aang!"

He started. Was she really sending him off like that? Then, he noticed the ice in her eyes and realized that she was. His resolve steeled. "Okay, Toph," he said. The pride surging through him when she stepped back at his calm tone was exhilarating. "If you don't care, then I won't, either."

Katara was pretty sure that they both cared. If they didn't, neither of them would have been standing there and debating the issue and that promise - whatever each of those were. So, she set her cup down on the coffee table and stood to grab Toph's shoulder.

In unison, there were shouts of, "Damn it, Katara! Don't touch her!" and "Damn it, Katara! Don't touch me!"

Katara's hand left Toph's shoulder as if she had gotten burned. Geez, it unnerved her just how in sync they were with each other sometimes. She held her hands up for them to see. "Okay. Let's just calmly talk all of this out. We can talk everything out, including whatever that promise is. What's the problem?"

Toph crossed her arms with a huff. "There's no problem," she said as she looked him dead in the eyes. "In fact, Aang was just leaving."

Katara looked to Aang. They were just screaming at each other (and at her, but that was besides the point). He wasn't leaving. "Aang, wait-"

"She's right," he confirmed. He didn't miss that quiet hitching of breath in Toph's throat. However, he was too angry to care. "I'm leaving." With that, he turned and made his way for the door.

Toph gasped a bit and took a step forward. "Wait," she croaked before the door slammed and she jumped, recoiling at the sudden sound (because it _felt_ like that door was closing more than just the entrance to her apartment). He never left so suddenly after a fight. Had she taken it too far, this time?

"No," she said to herself as she made her way to the door. "Aang, wait-" When she heard an engine start up and rev before fading away, she stopped and her breathing grew heavy. She had taken it too far, this time.

Beside her, Katara hesitantly placed a hand on Toph's shoulder. "Toph, what was that about?"

Shaking her head, Toph looked at her. "He hates me." She could vaguely hear Katara saying something about Aang never being able to hate her because they had been best friends for nearly sixteen years. Normally, that would have appeased Toph, but not this time because she had taken it _too far._ He came to tell her about a top aviation school, who was recruiting him (a _dream_ of his and she _knew_ it), and she got mad because of some stupid promise that they made.

She placed a hand over her chest. Why was she breathing so hard?

That worried Katara. She placed a hand on Toph's forehead. "Toph, you need to calm down. He doesn't hate you. He could never hate you. He's your best friend."

The more Katara said that, the more anxious Toph grew. A choked sob escaped her. Katara jumped and it was, most likely, because this was the first time that she had seen her cry, but Toph didn't care because she was pretty sure that she just lost her best friend. "He hates me," she sobbed. "He's going to go to Europe, and he's never going to call or text, and he's never going to visit because I chased him away by being a brat."

Finally, after recovering from the shock of seeing tears rolling down that face, Katara's mommy instincts kicked in and she pulled her in for a hug. To both of their surprises, Toph actually hugged her back and rested her head on her shoulder. Katara didn't know how to feel about that, especially when she considered the fact that Toph's quiet weeping was sadder than any wail that she had ever heard.

Suddenly, Zuko's conspiracy theories popped into her head. But, she brushed them off. She would talk to him in the morning. Now, she had to console her friend.

So, she grinned a bit. "Good news: all ground rules concerning Aang have just been revoked!"


	10. Chapter 10

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Ten

.

"Being in love with your best friend is problematic."

― J.M. Richards

.

Toph was a brat. She knew it. After all, she was a Beifong; born into modern day royalty, raised by a whole bunch of nannies (nannies whom she and Aang ran out in order to make way for new ones), and bred with the mindset that the world was hers. Growing up, temper tantrums were normal for her and so were other typical spoiled brat tendencies. However, although she had grown out of it, that brat was still inside of her and that was evidenced in the way that she acted last night. Toph Beifong was _still_ a brat - she knew that and so did Aang. She could own up to that, but it wasn't an excuse for her to treat him the way that she did. She had never acted that way with him before.

In all honesty, she didn't even know where the outburst came from. It wasn't like they had never been separated from each other before. She was fine with him leaving to go to school. He could leave and play with his little airplanes if he wanted to - whatever. That wasn't her business. But, the moment he said the word "Europe", her mind blanked. She just didn't know _why_.

She resisted the urge to groan and settled for glaring at the ceiling instead, simply because Katara was sleeping beside her. Toph was so shaken up that she had to sleep in the older woman's room for the night. It was pathetic, but she had to admit that Katara's mothering skills were greatly appreciated. However, a stroke of bad luck forced her to wake up in the middle of the night and she was unable to fall back asleep. She checked the clock and found that it was around three in the morning. She was lucky that she had the day off, but it was unfortunate that she was spending precious sleep time thinking about this.

_"It's in Europe."_

In fact, now that she thought about it, once he said those words, the one and only coherent thought that she remembered having was the fact that he wouldn't just be leaving America, but he would be leaving _her_. If Aang left, he would be leaving _her_ behind.

What?

She was so shocked at her brain's thought pattern that she actually said the word out loud and sat up, pushing Katara over a bit. As Katara rolled over and mumbled something under her breath before settling back into sleep, Toph was silently freaking out. When did she become so attached to him? Sure, he was her best friend for sixteen years, but since when did she care if Aang was leaving _her_ _specifically_?

 _"Since you want him to stay with you,"_ a voice in the back of her head sang mockingly. _"And_ for _you."_

That wasn't true. Was it? Nope. It definitely wasn't true. He could leave if he wanted to. He was her best friend and he wanted this. It wasn't like they were married.

 _"Not that you would mind,"_ the voice sang again. For some reason, it sounded like Zuko.

No duh, she wouldn't mind marrying Aang. It wasn't like they hadn't joked about it before and if there was anyone for her to choose to marry, it would obviously be him. She would always choose her best friend and he would always choose her.

_"But?"_

"Shut up," she snapped before she slapped a hand over her mouth. She looked to Katara, sighing in relief when she remained asleep and undisturbed. She didn't want Katara to wake up and badger her to talk about how she felt.

She shuddered.

That was it. Now, Aang definitely had to go. He had her blessings - all of them. Toph Beifong was hereby showering every blessing that she owned, and even those that she didn't know she owned, plus the ones that she saved for special occasions, onto Aang. Every single last one of her blessings were now in his possession. He needed to leave and go to the other side of the world, _effective immediately_ , or else these _whatevers_ would continue to annoy her and grow into something bothersome.

_"By 'whatevers', you mean 'feelings'."_

Feelings? He needed to go or else her _feelings_ would continue to annoy her and grow into something bothersome? She was growing feelings for Aang?

Holy hell, she was growing _feelings_ for _Aang_.

"Sixteen years and it took the possibility of you going to _Europe_ for this to happen?!" Once again, her hands were over her mouth. Warily, she studied Katara and waited for her to doze back off. She really wasn't trying to talk about this with her at three in the morning. Toph did _not_ want to talk about how it took _one_ letter about freaking _Europe_ for her to begin growing feelings for her best friend after _sixteen years_ of friendship.

She did _not_ just admit that to herself.

 _"But, you did,"_ the voice sang gleefully.

This was really happening to her.

So, she slapped her palms over her face and fell back onto the bed, ignoring Katara's sleepy murmurs.

Aang was exhausted. Once he had gone home after that fight with Toph, he hadn't gotten one hour of sleep, and it wasn't because he was ranting and raving to his father. Oh, no. It was actually quite the opposite. See, Aang wasn't surprised by Toph's little temper tantrum. In fact, he was used to that behavior. Toph was a brat - they both knew it and he called her out on it all the time. The fact that Zuko warned him about it appeased him even more. The only reason that their fight was so volatile was because she always did that to him - drew his emotions out so easily, that is. They were best friends, but their personalities clashed so easily.

The true reason that he hadn't slept a wink last night, and was currently working sluggishly at the teashop, was because he had gotten caught up in his feelings. Not the angry feelings that Toph had drawn out, but _other_ feelings. Once he got home, all he could think about was that if he left and went to Europe, he wouldn't just be leaving his home in America, but he would be leaving his best friend. Then, he thought about leaving his best friend and how not only would he be leaving his best friend, but he would be leaving _her_. There was a vast difference between 'leaving your best friend who _happened_ to be a her' and 'leaving _her_ '. There happened to be millions of songs written about this 'leaving _her_ ' business that could attest this.

But, when did this happen? Did it really take the possibility of leaving to go to another country (of leaving _her_ ) for him to begin growing feelings for her?

He started, eyes wide open, and shaking himself off a bit at the thought. Now, he was wide awake. Luckily for him, that thought shook him up just in time for Iroh, his boss, to come around. He nodded with a smile. "Good morning, Iroh."

Iroh rubbed his large belly as he smiled at Aang. "Aren't we lucky that the shop is never busy in the mornings? Don't think that I haven't seen you dozing off over here."

Aang's jaw dropped and he hesitated for a bit as Iroh chuckled. "I wasn't dozing off. I was thinking." That wasn't a lie.

Then, the old man sighed with a wave of his hand. "Ah," he sighed out as he sat at the counter with a grunt. "Don't worry, my young friend. I was merely making an observation. You seem troubled. May I ask what the problem is? Perhaps I could help."

Perhaps Iroh really could help. Normally, Aang would go to Toph with any problem that he had, but he couldn't really go to her with this. Although Iroh was a gossiper, the old man did give good advice. He wouldn't gossip about Aang though, right? "I've got a problem," he began. When Iroh nodded for him to continue, he did so. "I got a letter from an aviation school. They're offering me a spot in their program."

Iroh raised a brow. "I hardly see how that's a problem."

"The school's in Europe."

Iroh blinked. "Am I supposed to be seeing something here?"

Honestly, if Aang had hair, he would have been tearing it all out at the moment. "I told Toph and we got into a huge fight about it last night. Don't get me wrong, I'm used to fighting with her. We were actually due for a good one, but that's besides the point. It's just that..."

"It's just that?" Iroh asked.

"It's just that once I got home, I couldn't go to sleep," Aang continued frantically. "And it wasn't even because I was so pissed off. I drove the anger off, so I was good once I got home. I couldn't sleep because every time I thought about leaving to go to Europe, I kept feeling like I would be leaving _her_ and I don't want to do that. It's not even because I don't think that she can't handle herself because we all know that Toph can handle herself. It isn't the distance because we've been separated before." Not for very long, but he didn't think that was worth mentioning. "I just _don't_ like the thought of leaving _her_. But, when did this happen?"

Iroh sputtered. "How the heck am _I_ supposed to know when _you_ grew a crush on your best friend?! Am I _psychic_?! I'm just a teashop owner!"

This time, it was Aang who sputtered. "I do _not_ have a crush on Toph!" At least, he didn't think that he did. He hoped that he didn't. He hoped that he was _genuinely_ hoping that he didn't have a crush on Toph.

Iroh scoffed, but he hid the roll of his eyes. As if he hadn't been expecting this. Aang and Toph had been best friends since she was three and he was four. It was possible for males and females to be best friends, but with those two, it was totally different. It was bound to happen sometime. So, it was time for a riddle. "There once was a-"

"No fortune cookies, please."

Alright, maybe it wasn't time for a riddle - or 'fortune cookies' as Aang grew up calling them. Nevertheless, Iroh sat up in his seat. "Aang, I really don't know what you need help with. At this point, it's really up to you to make the decision as to whether or not you'll go to Europe. Do you understand?"

Hesitantly, Aang nodded. "I understand. It's just...weird. I didn't expect to be so bothered by leaving."

Iroh heard the unmentioned _'her_ ' that was left out.

Aang sighed with a shake of his head. "I bet she's still mad at me."

Iroh could see that this would be stuck on Aang's head for a while, so he stood. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? You're lucky that today's a slow day."

Immediately, there was a smile on Aang's face. "Thanks, Iroh," he said as he slipped his apron off. With a final wave, he grabbed his jacket and stepped out of the teashop.

Iroh spotted the apron that Aang left lying on the counter. He had never seen the young man so distracted before. So, he picked the apron up to place it over a hook before he took the broom and began sweeping. This would be interesting.

It was the ring of her cellphone that woke Katara up. She was tempted to let it ring, but Toph's quiet groans beside her prompted her to sit up and grab the phone. She didn't want to disturb the younger woman, especially after the night that she had before, which Katara was still thoroughly confused about. Luckily for her, it was Zuko who called, so she pressed the ' _answer_ ' button and placed the phone over her ear. "Hey, Zuko," she said as quietly as she could.

 _"Hey."_ A suspicious pause. _"Why are you whispering? Is your brother there or something?"_

A smile slid onto her face at that. "No, Toph's here. She slept in my room last night and she's still asleep."

A scoff. _"First, the kid and her little cohort get us all banned from that restaurant. Now, she's taken up residency in your room."_

As if Toph's Zuko senses were tingling, a short smile slid onto her face before she snorted and rolled over. Katara laughed a bit at that. "I didn't mind."

_"You didn't mind her and Aang getting us all banned from the restaurant?"_

"No," she said as she sat up with a stretch. It was almost ten. She was normally up before this time. Last night must have tired her out. "I didn't mind her sleeping here with me."

 _"Oh."_ He sounded satisfied. That made her smile grow. _"Why is she in your room, anyway? Nightmares?"_

Katara cast a wary glance over at Toph's direction. "Something like that."

_"What do you mean?"_

Now, she had to get up and leave the room. She didn't want to risk Toph hearing her. True, she shouldn't have been telling anyone, but this was Zuko. She told him everything. So, she slipped from under the covers, grabbed a sweater, and left the room, shutting the door behind her. "Zuko, you can't tell anyone this."

_"I won't tell anyone this."_

"I'm serious."

_"So am I."_

"If she knows that I told you this, she'll come after me, you, and anyone else who hears."

_"Okay! Okay! I won't tell."_

With a sigh, Katara began her stroll around the apartment. "Last night, Aang dropped Toph off over here and I guess he came in to say good night. But, then they started talking about this letter that he received from an aviation school-"

_"Wait, you were there? Involved in the conversation?"_

She hesitated as she shut the door to the bathroom. "No. I was supervising their conversation from the kitchen. I made them speak loudly so that I could hear."

 _"Katara,"_ he laughed out _. "They're not kids."_

"They're younger than me," she argued. "And they're still technically teenagers so, they've still got those nasty, little teenage hormones raging inside of them. Besides, I'm just trying to make sure that Toph stays safe. I've even implemented ground rules for her and Aang whenever they're over here."

_"You're not her mother, Katara."_

"While that _may_ be true-"

 _"It_ is _true-"_

"She does need one. She's been raised by nannies and she left home at eighteen. I'll stand in." With that, she began making her way down the stairs and into the living room to recline onto the couch. "Anyway, they started talking about this letter that he received from an aviation school. Everything was all hunky-dory until he said that it was in Europe. Then, all hell broke loose. They started yelling and screaming about this promise-"

_"Wait, what promise?"_

She shrugged even though he couldn't see it. "I didn't ask. So, they're arguing and, of course, I, as supervisor, attempted to step in and still the raging waters. He leaves and she started freaking out."

_"Freaking out?"_

"Well," she began hesitantly. "I don't know if I could call it _freaking out._ She did cry-"

_"Toph cried?"_

"Yeah, really quietly." She looked up at the staircase. "It was kind of scary, to be honest. I've never seen her cry and I, kind of, saw her as an aggressive cryer. I'm actually surprised that she even let me see her cry and that she let me take care of her."

 _"Wow."_ Zuko sounded genuinely surprised. _"She must have been really torn."_

"I know." Then, she sat up with a huff. "I even had to revoke all ground rules regarding Aang. It didn't exactly help to calm her down, but they need to spend as much time as they can together before he leaves."

_"You think he'll go?"_

"She's not going to let him stay after last night. She's going to want to prove a point or something."

_"Nah, he'd stay for her. She's got him on lock."_

"Don't say that. They're only nineteen."

_"Exactly. They're nineteen and practically adults with sound minds. Once again, you're not her mother."_

Katara set her jaw. She thought the possibility of Toph and Aang being together was cute when she was locked up in that bathroom, but she was adamant in the fact that this was only because a proper amount of air circulation was cut off. They were in a bathroom, breathing dirty bathroom air, for goodness' sake. Once she got out, her mommy senses were up and running, and working properly again. "They're just best friends."

_"Not for long."_

She could _hear_ the smile in his voice. Luckily for him, the doorbell rang. She stood to answer it, only to come face to face with Sokka. He grinned with his arms wide open. "Hello, my beautiful baby sister!"

Her face dropped. "You jinxed me."

_"Oops."_

When Aang approached the door to her apartment, he couldn't help but to feel nervous, yet he had no idea why he felt this way. He knew that he felt horrible about the fight that they had, but it wasn't like they had never fought before. This fight just resulted in a whole set of different emotions for him. He even brought her chocolates, for goodness' sake. He always brought sweets after a fight, but this time it wasn't because he was trying to gain her forgiveness. Maybe Zuko's conspiracy theories were finally getting to him.

He shook that thought off and rang the bell. After a moment, he heard footsteps before the door opened, only to come face to face with Sokka. His face fell. "Sokka?"

The older man nodded with a grin. "I heard you're in the doghouse."

With an exasperated roll of his eyes, Aang shook his head. "What are you doing here?"

Sokka leaned on the doorframe with a laugh. "So, you _are_ in the doghouse," he said, blatantly ignoring the question. "It's kind of weird since you and Toph aren't going out, but I can dig it."

Before Aang could answer, Katara came stalking over to the door with a phone over her ear. She grabbed Sokka's arm. "Don't go answering my door without permission. I don't want you scaring people away with your face."

"I look like _dad_!" He screeched.

"He's more handsome." With that, she pushed him away and took up his spot at the door. Then, she finally noticed Aang standing there. "Hold on," she spoke into the phone before regarding him. "Aang."

In all of his unnecessary nervousness, Aang had forgotten about Katara's mother complex. He hid the box of chocolates behind his back. "I didn't come to do anything. Not that there's anything for us to do. Or not do. Not that we'll do anything because that's not what I came here for. Well, I did come for something. Just not anything wrong or immoral. I just came to-"

Sokka's head popped in the doorframe. "Oh, just let the poor guy come-"

Katara's palm immediately engulfed his entire face. "Stop scaring my guests away!" She shoved his face away, ignoring the clutters and the screech as he fell to the ground. Then, she looked back to Aang with a small smile. "Luckily for you, the ground rules have been revoked for the time being. So, come on in."

Hesitantly, Aang entered the apartment and shut the door behind him when Katara walked off. He looked off to the side when he heard a groan, only to find Sokka in a heap of coats, jackets, hats, and scarves with the coat hanger over his lap. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you _just_ see her _throw_ me onto the ground?"

"No," Aang scoffed. "I mean, here in this house."

"Oh." The older man held a hand out for Aang to pull him up. When he was standing up on his own two feet, he began putting everything back in their place. "I came to see if Zuko was here."

Aang raised a brow. "Toph wouldn't like that."

"Yeah, I thought that she would've been on my case when I got here," he agreed. "But, from what I've heard, she's not really in the mood to stop me. So, I'm in the clear." He didn't miss Aang's glare.

"In the clear from what?" Katara asked as she stepped back into the room, the phone still attached to her ear.

Aang wasn't a sellout, but he did believe in karmic retribution for making fun of situations like this. "He's in the clear because Zuko isn't here. He came to see if he came over."

Sokka's jaw dropped with a screeched, " _Aang!"_ while Katara stomped her foot with an, " _I knew it!"_

Although he had just been sold out, Sokka looked completely unapologetic. "Who are you on the phone with?"

"I'm pretty sure that she's on the phone with Zuko," Aang answered. Then, he smacked a hand over his mouth. He was trying to distract them so that he could leave, but Katara just let him off of that short leash. "I mean-"

"By you being on the phone with Zuko, he's inadvertently in this house," Sokka declared. With that, he plopped down into the couch, ready to receive all of Katara's scoldings and criticisms.

Well, Aang's job there was done, which meant that he could now go speak with Toph. So, he left the quarreling siblings to their dispute and began making his way up the stairs and to Toph's room.

"She's in my room!" Katara called out hurriedly before the sounds of scurrying feet could be heard. "Sokka, don't you dare walk away from me!"

Aang frowned. She hadn't slept in her room? That meant that she was really distressed. Which only served to further feed into Aang's guilt. He turned right and knocked on the door to Katara's room. "T? It's me."

There was no answer, so he guessed that she was asleep. Aang wasn't surprised. Whenever she had the day free, Toph would sleep in until noon. Slowly, he opened the door for safety measures. Once he made sure that the room was safe and that she really was asleep, he shut the door and stepped into the room to make his way over to the bed. The bed sheets were over her head and that huge messy bun that constantly rested at the top of her head was poking out.

He smiled a bit before he crouched down at her bedside and gently pulled the covers down to her neck. "T.," he said quietly as he began massaging her scalp. Maybe if she woke up feeling comfortable, she wouldn't kill him for waking her up. "T., wake up."

After about a minute, her face scrunched up, but her eyes remained shut. Since when did Katara give scalp massages? Maybe she really was pitying her. She leaned into his touch with a yawn. "Katara?"

He shook his head, even though she couldn't see it. "It's Aang."

His voice was finally clear to her ears. Duh. The only people who ever gave her scalp massages were Aang and her mother. No matter how much of a mom she thought she was, Toph didn't think that Katara would give her scalp massages and no matter how overbearing her own mother was, she would never drive to her apartment just to give her a scalp massage. For this reason alone, she almost kicked him out. Instead, she remained quiet, kept her eyes shut, and leaned into his touch a bit more.

Aang took that as a good sign. She wasn't speaking, but at least she wasn't trying to kill him. "Hey."

She hesitated. "Hi."

For some reason, when she finally opened her eyes, his heart stopped. "I'm sorry about yesterday."

Involuntarily, her brows knitted. He came to _apologize_ to her? If anything, she should have gone to apologize to him. She was the brat, not him. Deep down, she knew that he said it first to pave the way for her to say it. "I'm sorry, too."

He regarded her for a moment before nodding. He knew her pride. She would never apologize if she didn't mean it. "I forgive you."

It wasn't okay, but he forgave her. "Are you mad at me?" she asked as she leaned into his fingers.

He shook his head. "No. Are you mad at me?"

When she shook her head, he cleared his throat and held the box of chocolates out. "I brought you chocolate."

Chocolate always guaranteed definite forgiveness in her book and he knew it. So, reluctantly, she pulled away from his hand, sat up, and shuffled over in the bed to make room for him. As he kicked his shoes off and crawled into the bed, she couldn't help but to feel that she shouldn't have done that - invite him into the bed, that is. It wasn't that they had never been in a bed together before because they had shared beds plenty of times. They had been best friends since she was three and he was four - their mothers put them in bubble baths together.

But, now it felt a bit dangerous, especially when she considered the fact that she cried over the possibility of him leaving. It was even worse when the thought of him leaving wasn't _just_ about him leaving, but it was about him leaving _her_. However, she couldn't just uninvite him, even though she knew that he wouldn't mind. She just needed him, her best friend, at the moment. Plus, she just didn't want to think about such pesky things at the moment.

So, when he finally got settled into the bed and under the covers, she pushed those thoughts aside. She watched him unwrap the box of chocolates. "You know, you can leave if you want to. As long as you send me a box of chocolates every week. The best chocolates are made over there."

He didn't doubt it. She would know. He set the opened box over his legs and they each took one. "That would cost a lot of money."

"I'm a Beifong," she mumbled out with a mouth full of chocolate. He chuckled a bit at this. "I'll just pay you back when you get back."

He placed an arm over her shoulder and drew her in close. Automatically, he tensed up a bit. He didn't mean to do that - put his arm around her, that is. It was just natural to place an arm around her because he always did that, but for some reason, this time felt off limits. He was about to retract his arm, but almost immediately, and luckily for him, she relaxed into his hold, resting her head over his chest. He resisted the urge to hold his breath. What was his _problem_? "I wouldn't even have enough money for the first full month."

She took another chocolate. "They have jobs in Europe, you lazy bum."

"So, I would be spending my paychecks on you."

"On my chocolates," she corrected stuffily.

They sat together, her eating her chocolates, and him with an arm around her, thinking. Aang didn't think that this decision would have been so hard to make. He really didn't think that he would have been feeling these _feelings_ that he shouldn't have been feeling for his _best friend -_ feelings that he shouldn't have been feeling for his best friend which were making his decision even harder. When she had finally eaten her fill of chocolates, she draped an arm over his middle and burrowed herself deeper into his side.

He was in trouble. Nevertheless, he kept his arm around her and held her closer. "You would miss me, right?"

"I will."

He didn't miss her correction. "I don't know if I'm going."

She snorted. "Don't blame me if you're stuck here and miserable. I'm encouraging you to go."

He rolled his eyes. She was right. She was basically giving him permission, not that he needed it. A picture of a young Sokka and Katara on a cabinet caught his eye. "Sokka's here. Did you know?"

She nodded against his chest. "I thought I heard him come in this morning. Not that I could exactly ignore a mouth like his." When Aang laughed, she grinned. "He's here to see if Zuko's here, right?"

"How'd you know?"

"I'm not stupid," she said simply. "By the way, we have a meeting for the next mission tomorrow."

"Of course we do." He wasn't surprised. She would have carried out the next mission by herself if she needed to do so, but he would never let her do anything alone. Especially if he would be right there, available to help her. "If I go, we would still talk everyday."

"I will Skype and text you."

Goodness, he wished that she would stop doing that. "If I go, what day would you like for the chocolate to arrive?"

"When you go, make sure that I get them on Sundays so that I start my weeks off right."

"Stop doing that." He knew that she was smirking. She probably thought that it was funny, but he just couldn't get the thought of leaving out of his head. He couldn't get the thought of leaving _her_ out of his head. What was _wrong_ with him? He sighed and she held him closer.

Holy hell. He felt like a middle schooler, again.

"If you wanted me to," he began hesitantly, keeping his eyes trained on the wall opposite of them. "I would stay for you."

She knew that he would. She wanted him to stay, but not for the reasons that a best friend should. After last night, she decided that it would be better for him to just go. If he stayed, that meant that the feelings that she was feeling would just continue to grow. She could _not_ have that happening. After all, he was her best friend. If he left, it would be better for the both of them. No matter how much she would miss him. So, she bit her lip and hid her face in his chest. "I'm not a baby. Go if you want to. Don't let me stop you."

That wasn't the answer that he had been hoping for. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what answer he was hoping for. Nevertheless, he nodded and relaxed against the wall and headboard behind him.

"Besides," she began conversationally. "I'm pretty sure that the only reason that I was acting up yesterday is because I'm on my period."

"Ugh! Seriously, T.?!"

"Aren't you glad that your chocolates came just in time?"

"This isn't about the chocolates!"

"I'm on the defensive right now!"

"Oh, my goodness."

"I can't be blamed for whatever truths escape my mouth."

Katara stepped into the room with a phone over her ear. "Sorry, I just came to get something," she said distractedly with a wave of her hand. She walked over to her vanity and pulled out a couple of drawers before she stood and looked into the mirror. Only to see Toph and Aang all cuddled up in her bed. She turned to face them and, lo and behold, they looked even more compromising when faced with her naked eye. "Am I interrupting something?"

Toph nodded into Aang's chest. "Yes, we were about to do it."

"Toph!" Aang began to sputter at Katara's look. He felt Toph's grin. "We weren't about to do anything! She's lying!"

Katara raised a critical brow. "I don't know. You guys do look pretty comfortable."

Toph held him closer. "He even brought me chocolates to get me in the mood."

Aang glanced at the box of chocolates, at the woman in his arms, at Katara, then to the ceiling. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Zuko, I just walked in on Toph and Aang," Katara spoke into the phone. "They were about to do it!" A pause. Then, sputtering. "What other ' _it_ ' is there to do, Zuko?!"

"We weren't about to do anything!"

"Tell him that Aang brought me chocolates."

" _Toph!_ "

"He even brought her _chocolates_!"

"He also gave me a scalp massage to wake me up."

"He gave her a scalp massage to wake her up so that they could do the do!"

"Ka- _ta_ -ra!"

"Zuko asks if you're being safe," Katara interrupted.

Aang kept his eyes trained on the ceiling. He was going to get an earful tomorrow. "This can't be happening."

Sokka's head popped into the room. "Who's doing what now?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Aang murmured.

"Aang and I were about to do it and Katara walked in," Toph answered.

Sokka grinned wolfishly. "That's why you brought the chocolates. Aang, you dog!"

"Zuko _insists_ that you two practice safe sex," Katara interjected with a wave of her finger.

Sokka nodded. "For once, that guy's got the right idea. I've got condoms in my car if you need me to get them." He noticed Toph and Aang's positioning. "I'm going to go get them." With that, he spun on his heels and left the room.

"Bring the box!" Toph called out.

"I got ya!" Sokka said.

" _Toph!"_ Aang screeched out.

"Bring the fire hyrdant, too!" Katara added in.

_"Ka-ta-ra!"_

Even though things were starting to get weird between them, at least from her side, Aang was still her best friend. Which meant that she could tease him as much as she wanted. She got the distinct feeling that the teasing and relaxed moments wouldn't last too long between them and that she would have to face the pesky emotions that she was feeling sometime soon. So, she was milking it all up as much as she could before things began to get really weird and she would have to face those feelings.

So, she laughed. "I haven't heard your voice crack like that since you were twelve!"


	11. Chapter 11

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Eleven

.

"No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by the unexpected."

― Julius Caesar

.

When Aang eleven years old, he made a bet with his father. A silly one. One so silly that he had never even told Toph about it. Now, Aang always told Toph everything - after all, she was his best friend. But, he never felt the necessity to tell her about this bet.

_It was a Friday afternoon, he remembered it being, when he and Toph had come from school to play basketball at his house. She beat him and he was a bit tired of her bragging that a midget girl beat him, so he went into the kitchen where his father was for a drink. As punishment for all of her bragging, he took the ball with him and left her to play with Appa._

_"Hey, dad," he said as he took a water bottle from the refrigerator. When his father gave him a look, Aang raised his brows. "What?"_

_One corner of Gyatso's mouth curved upwards and he looked out of the open door, leading into the backyard, where Toph was playing with Appa. "Toph's growing up to be quite pretty, isn't she, Aang?"_

_He snorted. "She's all right when she's not all dirty." With that, he took a gulp from his bottle._

_Gyatso hummed with a short smile. "You won't be thinking that for long."_

_Aang glanced at his father from the corner of his eye before he set the bottle down. He couldn't possibly be hinting at what Aang thought he was hinting at. Oh, but he was. That mischievous twinkling in his father's eyes told him exactly what he was hinting at. "Dad, it's Toph. That'll never happen. Besides, she'd beat me up."_

_His father laughed because he didn't doubt that. "I'm just stating facts, son. However, if you think that you're correct-"_

_"I know that I'm correct-"_

_"Let's make a bet."_

_Aang wasn't surprised. He and his father always placed little bets. Aang didn't always win, but he didn't always lose, either. However, he was sure that this was one that he would definitely win - without a doubt. "Fine. If it doesn't happen, you have to get a tattoo."_

_Gyatso looked slightly taken aback at that. Obviously, Toph had rubbed off on his son, which pointed at a very good chance of winning for Gyatso. Then, he nodded and held a hand out. "Very well. If it does, you'll be the one getting that tattoo."_

_"Deal." Aang shook his hand._

Aang hadn't thought much about that deal. In fact, he hadn't even thought about it since that very day. He couldn't care less if his father got that tattoo because he was never worried about losing that bet. Until now.

Aang never thought much of losing unless it had to do with basketball, but his father was a competitive one. This was where Aang got his competitive streak for sports, but his father's competitiveness could be applied to every aspect of life. Aang hadn't thought about that deal in so long because there was no way that he would have ever lost it. Now, he had nothing against tattoos and he was fine with enduring the pain. However, he was not willing to get a tattoo and endure the pain because he had lost a bet to his _father_. But, he _was_ losing. He had _already_ lost and because of this, Aang was royally screwed.

See, along with making sure that his father didn't find out that he had lost this bet (because his father remembered, Aang was sure, and he would make sure that both parties fulfilled their task), he was still stuck about his decision on whether to accept that school's invitation to go to Europe or not. But, this decision should have been easy, right? Especially since Toph told him that he could go, right?

Wrong.

Now, not _only_ was he stuck on the fence about his decision to go to Europe, but he had actually grown feelings for Toph because of this decision, making this decision about Europe even harder.

He was _freaking out_. How the hell did it take _sixteen whole years_ of friendship with Toph for him to finally grow feelings for her? Why did it take the possibility of going to Europe and leaving ( _leaving her)_ for him to finally realize just how attached he was to her? And yet, why did none of his actual feelings for her change? It was strange, but the only change in his feelings was the feeling of loneliness that he was sure that he would be feeling if he left. And _why_ did he _really_ want to just kiss her senseless?

Holy crap, where did that come from?

"Aang?"

Aang almost started crying, but he steeled himself because he was at work. When did Zuko get there and why was he sitting in front of him? "What?"

The older male raised a brow. "Are you okay?"

Aang had just lost a bet that he had made with his father when he was eleven years old, he was steadily growing feelings for his best friend of sixteen years, he had to make a decision as to whether or not he was going to leave the _freaking_ country to go to some fancy aviation school, he was worried about his decision about said aviation school because he didn't want to leave said best friend of sixteen years because he was growing feelings for her, and he wanted to _kiss_ her _senseless_. Now, Zuko, his own personal relationship _tormentor_ , was here.

In conclusion: no. Aang was not even close to being okay. "I'm fine," he lied as he wiped the counter down.

Zuko looked unconvinced. "Are you sure?"

Aang nodded. He had to be fine. He had taken an extra shift to make up for the one he abandoned the other day. The one he had abandoned to go to Toph. His best friend of sixteen years who he was growing feelings for.

 _"And wanted to kiss senseless,"_ a voice in the back of his head sneered.

How old did he have to be to get diagnosed as suffering with a midlife crisis? "I'm sure."

Zuko studied him for a few moments before shrugging. "You must be after Katara had to send Sokka to get the fire hydrant for you and your little friend."

Honestly, this was all just way too much for one nineteen year old to endure. "Are we really about to do this?"

"Did you and Toph really ruin my date with Katara?"

They both knew the answers to both questions. Despite Zuko being a pain, Aang let a smile slide onto his face because he didn't go any deeper. Although he and Toph hadn't done anything, he wasn't trying to explain why they were in bed together. "I didn't say anything to Toph - I told you that I wouldn't. She's smart. You got what you deserved. Besides," he said thoughtfully. "I thought you said that it wasn't a date."

"It wasn't." He answered a bit too quickly.

Aang's smile grew impish. "You should be glad that Toph and I infiltrated your little _get together._ " He didn't miss the narrowing of Zuko's eyes. "I saw that you almost got a kiss in."

The corners of Zuko's mouth twitched upward. "That is before Sokka came along."

"Toph beating him up should make up for our sabotage."

"Deal."

A customer stepped up to the counter to pay, offering Aang the money. When Aang took it, Zuko noticed the green nail polish still on his right hand's nails. "Thank you," Aang said with a nod and a smile. "Have a nice day."

"Aang," Zuko said cautiously as he studied Aang's nails. He distinctly remembered Aang saying that they were for good luck. "What are you doing here?"

Aang raised a brow. "I'm working. Isn't it obvious?"

"No," Zuko said with a shake of his head. "I know that you're working. I've got eyes. But, why are you working _now_? Don't you have a game today?"

Aang shook his head. "Tomorrow."

"I'm pretty sure it's today."

"It's tomorrow. I never miss a game." Plus, he and Toph had a meeting today.

Zuko took his phone out and checked his calendar. Then, he went through his text messages. "Spirits vs. the Flames," he read. "Tonight at the Spirits' gym to officially start off the basketball season. Come and support. There's a whole bunch of emoticons-"

Aang took the phone from Zuko's hand and read the message with wide eyes, all the way down to the emoticons. "The game is today."

Toph had just completed her last class of the day and she was ready to go home. But, it wasn't like she was going home to go to sleep, anyway. She had to go home because she had a meeting with Aang concerning _Operation: Zutara_. In all honesty, she wanted to call him and cancel that meeting just because she didn't want to see him.

Normally, Toph would jump any chance to see Aang. After all, he was her best friend - they spent every moment together. One would think that she would actually want to go to that meeting simply because he was going to be leaving for Europe. He hadn't told her of his official decision yet, but she was sure that he was going (she wanted him to go - her growing feelings depended on it). She was _supposed_ to be trying to spend more time with him before he left. But, she wasn't trying at all and she didn't want to because of her growing feelings for him, which really were as annoying as she predicted they would become. When Aang came over the other day, she knew that she would have to face her growing feelings sometime soon, but she didn't think that it would be _this_ soon. That was _really_ annoying.

Perhaps living with Katara was making her more _-insert preferred brand of shuddering here-_ in _touch_ with her emotions.

A look of disgust immediately contorted her face. How disgusting.

She stopped at the sign up sheet for the bachelor's auction before she dug around for a pen. Once she found it, she signed Aang's name down. He never paid attention to bulletin boards and it wasn't like he was going to deny her, anyway. She had him very well trained. Besides, this was what he deserved for encompassing her every waking thought. She just couldn't get that boy out of her head and it was absolutely irritating.

She put her pen into her pocket and looked his name over. He would sell for a lot. Aang was pretty handsome.

She smacked a hand over her face. She didn't even want to know where that stupid thought came from. It wasn't strange or weird to think that your best friend was good looking. She'd acknowledged the fact that Aang was handsome years ago. It was just that this acknowledgement wasn't on a best friend basis and she _knew_ it.

Oh, these feelings were a bit _too_ annoying.

So, she shook her head and resumed walking down the quiet hallway.

Wait a second. Quiet? Since when was _this_ school ever _quiet_?

She stopped in the middle of a lobby and looked around.

It was empty. Since when was this school ever _empty_?! This school was never quiet _or_ empty, no matter what time it was.

She checked her watch. It was only 6 o'clock. Where was everyone?

That was when she saw a young man frantically running up the hallway. What was he running to? "Excuse me," she said, stopping him in his tracks. "Why is the lobby so empty?"

He raised a brow at her as he fidgeted in one place. She was obviously holding him up. "The first basketball game of the season is tonight," he said as if it should have been obvious. "Everyone who isn't in class is in the gym, but I've heard that some teachers have let classes out early."

This was when she noticed the school's colors painted all over his face. Woah, how did she miss all _that_? Her brows furrowed. "No, _tomorrow_ is the first basketball game of the season."

"No," he drawled out. "If _tomorrow_ was the first basketball game of the season, _I_ wouldn't have my foam finger in my backpack right now." Then, he began running in place. "Speaking of that foam finger, I better let it get some air pretty soon. I bought it at a yard sale so, it's pretty cheap and might break in there," he said with a laugh.

Toph let a smile slide onto her face at that. "I'm sorry for keeping you. I was just sure that the game was tomorrow." Aang was pretty sure, too, she thought to herself. Further enforcing the _sad_ fact that this boy was constantly popping up into her head. This time was excusable, however. He was actually on the team.

"Nope. Tonight. And it's no problem, at all. I'd be curious if the halls were empty, too," he said with a smile before he observed her. "You're Toph Beifong, right?" When she nodded, his eyes widened and he stopped fidgeting. "Rumor has it that you're Peter Pan's best friend and that you go to every one of his games."

Peter Pan was a nickname that Aang got because of how flighty he was on the court. Most people didn't even know his real name. He skipped, danced, and giggled (sometimes it looked like he floated) during games and in the faces of his opponents. Sometimes, he even sang them songs, posed them riddles, and told them stories while they tried to get the ball from him. When Aang had first joined the team, the coach used to yell at him for this, but after a week or two into the season, he let it go simply because this was his playing style and because he really was an entertaining player.

Before Toph could answer, not that she was planning to, a grin full of awe slid onto the young man's face. "Holy crap," he breathed out. "You're _Peter Pan's_ best friend!"

The look on his face was just ridiculous. And for _Aang_. "Trust me, he's not that special-"

"Do you think that I could get your autograph?" he asked quickly and frantically. "I mean, you're not _Peter Pan_ , but you're his best friend. That's good enough, right? I mean, you're his _best friend_. You must spend a lot of time with him. I bet you even get to sniff him," his words faded into a whisper. He was obviously a fan because he didn't notice Toph's worried look beyond the stars in his eyes. Then, he shook his head. "I'll get it next time. I'm out! I want to get there to see the mascot start it all off. It was nice to meet you! See you at the game!" At that, he took off for the gymnasium.

Toph's hands immediately went searching for her phone. As soon as she had it in hand, it began ringing. It was Aang. There that best friend telepathy went again. She almost smiled, but she shook that off to answer the phone. "Twinkletoes?"

 _"I have a game today,"_ he spoke frantically.

"One of your little fans just informed me."

A pause.

" _I have fans?"_

"Yeah, this one was a little obsessed with you."

_"I have fans who are obsessed with me?"_

"Just a little."

_"Wow."_

The smile could be heard in his voice, causing a smile of her own to grow. "He informed me about your _game_."

" _Oh, right._ _Are you going to be there?"_ Geez, he sounded out of breath.

"Of course." Her smile grew at his breath of relief. "Where are you?"

_"I'm in the car with Zuko."_

_"Midget,"_ Zuko greeted.

A smack.

_"I told you not to call her that!"_

_"Okay! Don't punch the chauffeur! I'm sorry! Hello, Toph!"_

Toph laughed at that. "Hello, Grapevine."

 _"That nickname,"_ Zuko said before he faded away.

 _"Where are you, T.?"_ Aang asked.

"Still at school. I was about to go home. I didn't know that you had a game today."

_"Neither did I!"_

_"I knew," Zuko said._

There was a scoff.

_"I just picked my stuff up from home and I'm changing in the car."_

Oh, she _really_ wished he hadn't told her that.

 _"It's not a pretty sight,"_ Zuko said forlornly.

Toph seriously doubted that.

 _"Chauffeurs are supposed to drive quietly,"_ Aang said.

_"Chauffeurs are in front of the wheel."_

_"Whatever,"_ Aang said with a laugh. " _Zuko's going to drop me off and he'll take us home afterwards."_

_"Woah, hey now. I didn't say all that. I was going to go home after I dropped you off."_

_"How are we supposed to get home? I don't have my car and I dropped her off this morning."_

_"I guess we''ll have to go back and get your car."_

Tire screeching could be heard.

_"No! What are you doing?! I'm going to be even later! Turn around! Turn around! Now!"_

Toph looked from side to side. Did they forget that she was on the line?

 _"I was kidding!"_ Zuko laughed after a moment.

 _"Don't joke like that! This is the first game of the season!"_ Aang pouted and Toph knew that he was pouting because she could practically _hear_ it through the phone.

Nevertheless, Zuko continued to laugh. Toph smiled a bit at the sound. As annoying as Zuko may have been, he did have a nice voice.

_"Did you forget our little friend on the line?" he asked._

_"I could never forget Toph,"_ Aang responded immediately. He sounded insulted.

Toph bit back her growing smile. He wasn't making it easy for her to keep her feelings at bay until it came time for him to leave for Europe.

_"Were you trying to be smart when you said 'little friend' or-"_

_"No, Aang,"_ Zuko deadpanned. He sounded sick of the younger man. _"I wasn't."_

_"Good."_

_"Yes. Good, good and all that jazz."_

_"T.?"_ Aang asked. _"Are you still there? It's quiet."_

"Yeah," she responded as she looked around. She really wasn't used to the school being so empty. It was kind of creepy. "I'm by myself because everyone's in the gym. But, I was enjoying the show."

Zuko chuckled.

_"Well, get to the gym and_ _I'll meet you there. If they start without me, tell them I fell down a flight of stairs so that when I show up, I'll look like the miracle basketball player."_

"See you later, Aang." The sound of his laughter was heard before she shut the phone. That confirmed the fact that he didn't know that he had a game. At that, she began making her way to the gymnasium.

It was the middle of the second quarter and Toph was still sitting in the bleachers in the midst of cheering college students, waiting for Aang and Zuko to show up. She was actually sitting beside the boy she had met in the empty lobby earlier. His name was Kahn. Although he was very strange and had an obsession problem, he was also very kind and hospitable and offered her a seat beside him when he saw her step into the large gymnasium. She knew that it was only because she was _Peter Pan's_ best friend, but she accepted the kindness nonetheless.

Kahn stood and waved his foam finger in the air when someone from their team scored. "Yes! Whoo! You're not as good as Peter Pan-!"

Toph covered her face.

"But, that was good! Go, Spirits, go!"

He also had great school spirit. So, Toph couldn't hold back the laughter when he sat back down beside her excitedly and with a fidgeting leg.

The clock read ten seconds and everyone began counting down along with it. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six-!"

Kahn pumped a fist with each number he hollered as Toph continued to laugh at the childlike exuberance. "FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!

Once the ten seconds were over, the buzzer blared, and each team went to their own side to recoup, Kahn gave one final holler (several people around blatantly told him to shut up, but he didn't care) before he looked to Toph. Amazingly enough, the paint on his face withstood the sweat. "Where do you think Peter Pan is?"

"Aang," she corrected for the millionth time that night. Honestly, it was like Aang had no other identity beyond being a basketball player. But, the sheepish smile and shrug that Kahn gave her as an apology excused him. She had to admit that he was pretty cute. Maybe it was the fact that he really didn't mean to call Aang that or maybe it was the innocence he so easily exuded that she didn't have. Or the dimples.

She shook that off.

Right before the game had started, the coach asked her where her friend was and she told him that he would be a little late. Toph was no expert in all of this, but she had been going to these games for a while and she was pretty sure that 'a little late' didn't mean the third quarter.

She turned her eyes from Kahn and looked to the court's entrance. Still, no Aang and Zuko.

Honestly, if Aang was serious about coming in late just to be known as the basketball miracle, she would beat him up in front of this entire crowd. Aang wasn't an arrogant person, but he sure did become bold and cocky whenever it came to basketball because he knew just how good he was.

With a shake of her head, Toph looked to the scoreboard. At least, they were winning. It wasn't like Aang was the only good player on the team anyway. If he heard her say that, she would never hear the end of it.

"Not sure," she said nervously. "I knew that he was going to be late, but not this late. The third quarter is about to start. I hope they're okay."

Kahn nodded with understanding. "It's probably just traffic-" He inhaled a large gulp of air and put a hand over his heart. " _OH MY GOODNESS!_ "

"What's wrong?" Toph asked worriedly as the people around them looked to Kahn suspiciously with questioning murmurs.

Kahn took several patient and steadying breaths before he swallowed. " _It's Peter Pan_ ," he said with a whisper before he began sputtering unintelligible words.

Hell, the boy looked about ready to faint.

Nevertheless, Toph whipped her head to the court's entrance to see Aang running onto the court and to the team as the crowd applauded.

Toph was so tempted to tell them all that he _really_ wasn't all that special. But, she couldn't help the smile that grew onto her face as she watched several of his teammates greet him, some of them pulling at his ears before playfully shoving at each other.

Beside her, Kahn was hyperventilating. Which brought her back to earth. She really hoped that no one saw her staring at Aang like that.

She looked at Kahn. "Damn." That just slipped out. She didn't mean for that to come out, but it did because... She looked him over. _Damn_. "You look like hell." She didn't mean for that to come out, either. He just really looked like hell.

"I'm going to faint," he said weakly. "Toph, I'm going to lose it."

Toph laughed at that. He reminded her of Aang a bit with his dramatics. But, Kahn did look like he was about to faint. So, she put a hand on his shoulder to soothe him. "If you can make it through the game, I'll introduce you to him."

Kahn sat up and fanned himself with his foam finger. "You're a saint."

Toph rolled her eyes at that. She had a feeling that Kahn and Aang would get along just fine. From the corner of her eye, she saw Zuko climbing up the bleachers to approach her. "My friend is coming. Can you move over?"

Kahn frowned a bit. "I don't know. It's kind of crowded and it's hot. First game excitement and all that, you know?"

"He drove Peter Pan here."

Kahn stood. "Move over people! Peter Pan's chauffeur needs a seat!"

Surprisingly enough, the people in their row actually moved over.

Toph shuffled over and made room for Zuko. "What took you guys so long?"

As he sat, Zuko let out a sigh. "Traffic."

At this word, a squeak escaped Kahn.

Toph hid a smile. "Zuko, this is Kahn. Kahn, Zuko."

Zuko held a hand out. "Hey."

Kahn looked starstruck. "You're so gorgeous."

Zuko retracted his hand. "Nice to meet you." Then, he shook his head and murmured under his breath. "All you people are the same."

Toph snorted. "I told you that you were pretty."

"I'm not doing this again!"

On the Spirit's side of the court, the coach was speaking to the rival team's coach, but it didn't look hostile. The conversation looked like it was being held between two old friends and it wouldn't be a surprise if this was the case. The coach shook his head when a couple of his players bumped into him. He was about to chastise them, but it was the first game of the season and they were excited. There really was no point, anyway. They all acted like children, but they were _his_ team. So, with that thought, he resumed the conversation.

Among the several players who bumped into the coach was Aang who was attempting to escape their hands. He laughed as he shirked back from a hand pulling at his ears. "I said I was sorry! Stop!"

The owner of the hand, a young man by the name of Haru, crossed his arms with a bit of a grin. "Where were you Peter Pan? The third quarter's about to start."

Thankfully, the coach didn't ask him the same question when he arrived. He was just happy to see Aang. So, Aang gave the simplest answer. "I forgot."

Sitting on the bench, another player stood up with a raise of his brow. " _You_ almost missed the _first game_ of the season because you _forgot_?"

Aang shrugged. "I was distracted."

The player's face scrunched up. He obviously didn't get it and it was understandable. Basketball was Aang's life. "What the _hell_ was so important that it got _you_ distracted enough to almost miss the first game of the season?! We had to sub in the green kid for you!"

Behind them, there was indeed a small green boy with his head in a bucket. "That's not funny!"

The young man looked back to Aang. He was expecting an answer. A good one.

Aang couldn't exactly tell them all that he was distracted by Toph. Well, by his growing feelings for Toph. Not that he would be ashamed to tell them that she distracted him. Quite the opposite, actually. He would have loved to tell them that _Toph Beifong_ was the distraction that almost made him miss the first game of the season. He would have loved to brag about that and shove it in all of their faces that _she_ was the distraction. But, he wasn't exactly allowed to tell anyone that because she was his best friend.

So, unashamedly, he ignored the question and looked to the crowd. "Did Toph come in?"

The player threw his hands up in the air before he walked over to punch the green kid in the back.

"Hey!" the green boy complained.

"Oh, shut up and keep puking," he said as he shoved the green kid's head back into the bucket. "You're no longer needed."

Haru shook his head at his teammate's brutish behavior before regarding Aang. "Yeah, I saw her come in." Then, he sighed. "The green kid's turning greener. I've got to fix him."

Aang didn't even acknowledge Haru when he walked away because he was busy trying to find Toph. She always sat in the third row because there was a better view up there, but she wasn't in the third row. She wasn't in any third row of any of the bleachers surrounding the gymnasium. His heart actually stopped, which was a problem since his heart wasn't stopping because he couldn't find his best friend, but because he couldn't find _her_.

He swallowed. He was sure that he looked like a big baby at the moment, but he didn't care. Thankfully, before he had to go ask someone where she was, he spotted those pale jade eyes and that huge messy bun sitting right on top of her head.

He smiled a bit. If she wasn't so small, the people behind her wouldn't have been able to see past her head. Then, she laughed and his smile _almost_ grew. _Almost_ because he spotted just _who_ was making her laugh. Some _guy_ with the team's colors painted all over his face and a foam finger.

Aang's jaw clenched. Who was that guy and why was he making Toph laugh so hard?

Beside Toph, he spotted Zuko. He looked so annoyed. In fact, the whole scene looked comical. A guy covered in face paint talking excitedly while a pretty girl laughed and an even prettier boy looked pissed. But, it didn't _feel_ comical. Not to Aang. He knew that he was acting childish. He just didn't care.

The buzzer for the third quarter to begin blared. Aang didn't jump. Though his stomach did do a flip when Toph looked to him and waved with a grin, turning her attention from that boy to him. So, of course he waved back and turned his head when the foam finger boy waved as well.

From her seat, Toph blinked. What was that about? She turned to Kahn and laughed a bit at his pout. The boy really was funnier than he realized. "Don't worry. It's probably just first game jitters. He's very nice. I'll still introduce you to him if you want?"

Kahn nodded vehemently. "Of course! Why would I give up the chance to meet Peter Pan?"

Zuko palmed his face.

 _They were studying in her room. Well, they were_ supposed _to be studying. Actually, Toph was trying to study while Aang was busy staring her down. This was strange since usually, it was the other way around. Usually, he was studying and she was making comments on how distracting his bald head was and how it reflected a glare that blinded her whenever the light hit it a certain way._

_She glanced at him._

_He was still staring._

_Did she have a pimple or something? She resisted the urge to throw her book at his face. In doing that, the stupid book would have served a much higher purpose than what it was at the moment. But, she would ignore him. She was good at ignoring people._

_A minute passed and she had only managed to read one line, at least ten times because she just knew that he was still staring at her. She could_ feel _his eyes on her._

_Well, she was usually good at ignoring people._

_"What?" she sneered as she shut the book and he jumped. Good. He had better be scared with all that unnecessary staring he was doing. "Do I have something on my face? Do you want me to throw this book into yours?"_

_He seemed unfazed. Instead of reacting likewise, he quirked a brow. "When did you grow boobs?"_

_Her face dropped. That was it? Her chest was the problem? "I've always had them, you perv."_

_This time, he looked offended. "I'm not a perv. They just came out of nowhere."_

_This was what she got for having a male as a best friend. Her mother did try to warn her. "It's called puberty," she said carefully. "Boys get taller, stinky, and cracked voices. Girls get hot."_

_"I know what puberty is, T. I'm not slow."_

_"Then, stop acting like it."_ _With that, she returned to her book, only to feel that same tickling feeling. She looked up and found him staring at her again. "Oh, my- What?!"_

_"Are they heavy?"_

_"You've got to be kidding me."_

_"They look pretty heavy."_

_"They're not."_

_He tapped his chin contemplatively. "I bet you tip over."_

_She hid her face in her hands. "We can't seriously be having this conversation."_

_"Now that I think about it, you have been more off balance, lately."_

_"I haven't been off balance."_

_"I'm pretty sure you've been more off balance, lately."_

_"They're just mounds of fat, Aang."_

_"Right on your chest. Isn't that dangerous?"_

_He sounded genuinely concerned. This was ridiculous. "Why don't you go worry about every other girl with boobs?"_

_"Yours are_ huge _! One day, you'll tip over all the way and won't be able to stand properly ever again!"_

_"Aang!"_

_Thankfully, he quieted. She felt her face grow hot and she was grateful that her hands were still covering her face._

_"I wonder what I would look like with boobs," he said suddenly and contemplatively._

_He was serious. "Please."_

_"I wonder what I would look like with_ your _boobs."_

 _"This can't be happening." But, it was. This was_ really _happening to her._

_"I bet I would be a hot chick."_

_A smile grew onto her face behind her hands._

_"But, I'm pretty skinny, so I'll tip over like you."_

_"For the last time, I do not tip over-"_

_"If I gained a bit of weight, I'd look even better, though."_

_At that moment, a picture of a female version of Aang with huge boobs popped into her head and she snorted. Then, her snort grew into a giggle._

_"Wait," he said. He sounded every shade of offended. "Are you laughing because you think that I would be ugly?"_

_Her laughter intensified and her hands left her face to hit the desk because he was dead serious. After a few moments, she heard him begin to laugh, which only served to feed into her gigglefest. This was probably the stupidest conversation that they had ever had, which was saying a lot because they had some_ pretty _stupid conversations._

_Then, she leaned back, only to fall off of the chair and onto the floor._

_Aang's laughter grew into wheezes and she could hear and feel his feet stomp. "I-I-I_ knew _they were heavy!"_

The cheers were almost deafening, but it didn't stop the two sportscasters sitting on either side of the scorekeeper.

_"And the win goes to the Spirits!"_

_"A wonderful win for the first game of the season, don't you think?"_

_"Yes, a wonderful win indeed. Inspirational, even, when the winning basket was scored by the Spirits very own Peter Pan."_

_"Ah, yes. That bald boy who came in running late!"_

_"Yes, he really should consider growing his hair out like that one boy on his team."_

_"The one with the flowing locks, you mean?"_

_"Yes, number four, I believe. Haru! There it is. He's got some good hair."_

_"I wonder what he uses."_

_"You know, I hear that if you lather, rinse, and_ don't _repeat... Your hair ends up looking like Haru's."_

_"How extraordinary!"_

_"I watched a documentary-"_

Haru, standing with his foot over the main power button of the microphones, gave them a look. "Game's over."

The scorekeeper hurriedly gathered up her things with a roll of her eyes. "Thank you. They were jumping up and down on my last nerve. I just didn't know how to tell them to shut up." With a huff, she took her leave.

Aang shook his head at the scene as he began making his way toward Toph, nodding at everyone who offered their congratulatory statements as he climbed up the bleachers. Normally, he wasn't so flippant about this. He usually thanked them or stopped to talk, but he wasn't usually growing feelings for his best friend and there wasn't usually a guy making her laugh.

Zuko stood when Aang finally made his way over to them. "Finally. Good game. Let's go-"

As soon as his eyes met Toph's, he held his arms wide open. "Aren't you going to give me a hug to congratulate me?"

Only God knew how inviting that was, especially after seeing him run up and down the court like that. However, she crossed her arms and her upper lip curled. "You're all sweaty."

That curled upper lip suddenly reminded him of how much he wanted to kiss her.

 _"Senseless,"_ the voice in his head sang. _"Remember?"_

He ignored it. "Victory juice."

 _"Ew!_ Aang!"

He beamed. "You weren't in your regular seat today. What happened?"

Toph rolled her eyes. "Apparently, people started filling up seats at five since it's the first game of the season. But, luckily, Kahn," she began with a grin as she referred to the painted boy beside her. "Had a free seat next to him."

Kahn froze.

Aang noticed. He stepped closer to Toph.

"Aang, this is Kahn," she said. "He's the fan I was telling you about."

Kahn took in a few breaths. "You told him about me? Holy crap, you told _him_ about _me_."

Toph laughed. Seriously, this guy was too much. "He wanted to meet you. He's a big fan."

Aang watched Toph before he stuck a hand out. "Thanks for telling her about the game."

A choked sob escaped Kahn as he observed Aang's hand. "I'm about to shake _Peter Pan's_ hand!" He took in measured breaths. "Okay. Calm breaths. In. Out-"

Zuko seriously couldn't believe this. "Just shake his hand so that we can go!"

Slowly, as if to savor the moment, Kahn put his hand into Aang's. When Aang closed his hand over his and then retracted it, he watched his own hand in awe. "I'm never washing this hand ever again."

Toph hunched over with laughter, her arms cradling her stomach.

Aang looked at her. Seriously, the guy wasn't that funny. Well, he would have been if Aang wasn't jealous.

A record scratched.

Was that what this feeling was? Jealousy?

As he watched Toph continue to laugh, he felt his stomach turn. Aang was _jealous_. But, he _couldn't_ be. Toph was just his best friend. He was growing feelings for her, feelings that he was trying to keep at bay, but that didn't change the fact that she was still his best friend. "What's so funny?"

"He-he-he just loves you so much!" she cackled out. "I keep telling him that you're _not_ that special, but he won't listen!"

_"Toph!"_

Kahn gasped. "How dare you disrespect my loyalty like this?!

As Toph continued to laugh, Zuko grew impatient. "Just throw her over your shoulder and let's go! Goodbye, Kahn!" On that note, he began making his way down the bleachers.

Aang wasn't going to argue with that.

Suddenly, Toph found herself over Aang's shoulder and Kahn upside down. "Hey!" she exclaimed a bit giggly as she pounded Aang's back. "Don't make me fart in your face!"

Aang followed Zuko, careful to keep Toph steady as she squirmed. "Do you want me to drop you? Besides, your fart smells like baby powder."

Zuko sputtered. "Why the hell do you know that?!"

"We have fart wars," Aang conceded.

Still giggling, Toph waved at Kahn. "See you later, Kahn! Twinkles, you smell," she giggled out as she tugged on the back of his jersey. Aang couldn't deny that her breathy little giggles sounded good. "Tell Kahn that you'll see him later."

"I don't want to."

_"Aang!"_

She sounded irritated, but she was still giggling. He didn't like the fact that Kahn was the one to get her so giggly, but she was his best friend and he liked it when she was happy. So, he threw a hand up as he walked. "Later, Kahn."

Kahn squealed.

Toph's laughter started up again.

Aang rolled his eyes.

Zuko wasn't interested. "Let's hurry it up, people!"

After putting her key through the lock and opening the door, Toph turned to wave at the car before she stepped in and shut the door behind her. "Katara?" she called out as she locked the door. "I know you're not with Zuko because he just dropped me off!"

A scoff came from the top of the stairs before Katara came down. "I don't care that you were with Zuko," she said once she reached the last step. Then, she stopped to cross her arms with a raised brow. "What were you doing with Zuko?"

Toph gave her a look.

"I'm not jealous if that's what you're trying to imply." Toph looked unconvinced, so she continued. "I have no reason to be jealous. I'm just curious to know why you were with him." A pause. "Why were you with Zuko?"

Pathetic. "Aang had a game today. Your boyfriend saved the day by reminding him and dropping him off at the game. He took me home and he's dropping Aang off now."

"Oh," Katara said with a relieved smile. "That's nice!"

Toph smiled and reclined onto the door.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Not yet." The older woman was turning redder by the second and Toph couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or anger. She didn't want to find out which, so she decided to lay off. "Aang and I both forgot that the game was today. Zuko was the one who told him and made sure that he got to the game in time for the third quarter."

Katara's eyes widened. "The third quarter? That late? They let him play?"

"He's _Peter Pan_ ," Toph said with an air of elegance. "Of course they let him play. I just can't believe that we both forgot. I can understand one of us forgetting, but not both."

"I'm not surprised," Katara said with a shrug as she walked over to sit down on the couch before grabbing the remote to turn the television on. "You guys were _both_ off the other day. Your friendship is more important than a game, you know?"

Toph blinked as Katara flipped through the channels, muttering about how there wasn't anything good on, but she was going to sit there anyway because she had nothing better to do. Quietly, she sighed. "Thanks for the other night."

Katara looked at her, looking a bit confused. "You don't have to thank me. That's what I'm here for."

Hesitantly, Toph nodded at her words. "I don't cry," she began cautiously after a moment of deliberation. "But, if I do, it's always Aang who comforts me. I'm not used to anyone else."

Katara definitely understood that. After being attached to a single person for your whole life, you tend to become emotionally attached as well. She was sure that Aang was just as emotionally attached. Which meant...

A beaming smile grew onto Katara's face. "Does this mean that we're getting _closer_?"

Toph's face dropped. "I didn't say all that-"

"Am I finally getting on Aang's level?"

"I was just trying to say thank you-!"

"Am I _almost_ to Aang's level?"

"I only cried to you because I couldn't cry to him-!"

"Does this mean more girl talks?"

Oh, _hell_ no. Toph began making her way up the stairs. "I just wanted to say thanks."

Katara followed her, the open television forgotten as she excitedly rushed up the stairs behind Toph. "Painting each others nails and doing each others hair helps the emotion drawn out by girl talks to flow better!"

"Leave me alone!"

"I read it in an article online!"

"Go away!"


	12. Chapter 12

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Twelve

.

_Damage Control - An attempt made to correct or rectify a situation that went wrong._

― Urban Dictionary

.

Coward. Noun. A person who lacks the courage to or endure dangerous or unpleasant things.

Toph was a coward. In every aspect of the word. She was perfectly fine - and _not_ a coward - when she got home the other night, but as soon as she woke up the next day, she knew one thing: she couldn't see Aang. As in, physically seeing him right before her very eyes was a no-no. Even hearing his voice was a no-no at this point. But, Toph really _did_ want to see him and hear his voice, which was causing a conflict within herself because she absolutely could _not_ allow herself to see him or hear his voice.

So, to play it safe, she sent him a quick text, giving him a poor excuse as to why she couldn't do the meeting. She didn't even check for a response. As soon as she sent the message, she cast the phone onto her bed and took to wandering around the apartment because she was too afraid to leave the house for fear of bumping into him elsewhere. Honestly, at this rate, _Operation: Zutara_ would never be completed.

_"Coward,"_ the voice in the back of her head sneered.

She ignored it.

But, at least she had Katara in the house with her, who was currently sitting in the middle of the living room with the furniture all pushed aside and surrounding her as she forced herself into a position. A painful looking position, Toph thought with a wince. This must have been another one of Katara's health craze phases.

Toph walked around to gauge the older woman's face. To her surprise, the older woman didn't look uncomfortable in the least bit. She actually looked at ease. "What are you doing?"

"Yoga," Katara began with a breathy voice before she changed positions. "I'm channeling my spirit. Meditating and focusing my mind. Aligning my chakras while strengthening my body."

That sounded stupid. "Why don't you just take kick boxing with me if you want to strengthen your body so badly?"

"Kick boxing isn't ladylike."

"Yoga's not going to help you kick ass."

" _Butt_ , Toph," Katara corrected airily while switching to another position. "Yoga's not going to help me kick _butt_."

"You said it, not me."

A brow twitched before her face relaxed. "Normally, that would bother me, but yoga is also very calming. You should join me."

"No, thank you," Toph declined politely. When Katara moved into another position, the younger woman whistled. "Hell, if Zuko were in my spot right now-"

Katara fell from her position to look at her. " _Toph!_ " she exclaimed with an ever reddening face.

With one final and impish grin, Toph escaped into the kitchen for a drink. Just watching Katara do all that with her body made her thirsty. She heard grumbling and stomping around before they both suddenly stopped.

"Toph?" Katara called out.

"Yes?" Toph answered before she began drinking from her cup.

"When was the last time you spoke with your mother?"

Toph lowered the cup suspiciously. "Last week."

"Okay." Then, she added, "When was the last time you saw her?"

"Not since I moved here. Why?"

"Because," Katara said as Toph took another gulp of water. "She's outside."

Immediately, Toph began choking and she slammed her cup down. Katara was saying something about not damaging the kitchenware, but Toph ignored all of it. "What?!" she screeched before she made her way into the living room, only to find Katara peeking through the window's shades. "What the hell is she doing _here_?!"

"How am _I_ supposed to know?!" Katara retorted. "She's _your_ mother!" Then, she began shuffling from foot to foot. "Oh, I wish she called before coming. The last time she was here, all she did was criticize this place."

"The last time she was here, she was saying _goodbye_!"

Which could only mean one thing - something was up. On that note, they both began fixing the living room as quickly as they could. Toph loved her mother, she did. In fact, she made sure to speak with her mother, at least, twice a week - even more if their schedules permitted. She may not have had a good relationship with her father, but she was definitely her mother's daughter. However, no matter how much of a mother's girl she was, Toph didn't want her just popping up without any warning. For goodness' sake, the last time the woman came over was when she moved in with Katara; almost two years ago.

The doorbell rang and the backs of both women immediately snapped straight and erect. At least the living room was fixed. They just had to make sure that she didn't do any inspections. Now, they just had to decide who was going to answer the door.

"So," Toph began as they both stared the door down. "Aren't you going to get that?"

"That's _your_ mother on the other side!"

"You're the oldest!"

"I'm always getting the door!"

"That's because you're the responsible one!"

There was a pause before a smile grew onto Katara's face. "You really think that I'm responsible?"

"Just get the damn door!"

"I can _heeeaar_ you two," Poppy sang out merrily.

With a short groan, Toph hid her face into her hands, letting Katara know that this girl was not in any condition to be answering the door - especially a door that had her mother, whom she hadn't seen in two years, on the other side. So, after letting a quick breath out, Katara began making her way to the door.

The urge to run upstairs and grab her phone in order to call or text Aang immediately washed over Toph. It was only natural. After all, he was always the one she went to. But, she couldn't go to him. Not today. He was her best friend, but she was the one struggling with her feelings, feelings that pushed her far enough to come to the decision that she couldn't see him or hear his voice.

Besides, she could handle herself. She was a big girl.

Poppy walked through the door in all of her glory with a wide smile and arms wide open. "Tophy!"

Oh, hell.

However, when Katara offered her a nod and a smile from behind her mother, Toph relaxed and kept her hands at her sides. She didn't need Aang for everything. He was going to be leaving anyway, which meant that she needed to learn to get along without him.

So, she let a smile slide onto her face and allowed her mother to embrace her.

_..Earlier That Day.._

The operations were at risk. Operations with an _'s'._ Plural. Both. As in the word ' _operations_ ' was being used in a _plural_ sense to declare that both _Operation: Zutara_ and _Operation: Taang_ were at risk. Why were _both_ at risk, you may ask? Well, it seemed that Zuko's plan to hook those two trouble makers up was working a little _too_ well. Apparently, although they didn't say it out loud, they were both so caught off guard by their newfound feelings for one another that they hadn't even had the meeting for _Operation: Zutara_ that was postponed due to the game.

Zuko knew that it was due to their new found feelings for each other because he _saw_ the way that Aang was looking at Kahn. He _saw_ the way he stepped closer to Toph in order to promote a sense of ownership. Zuko also knew because his uncle, the poor, old gossip that he was, accidentally let it slip that Aang had developed a crush when he visited him earlier.

_Iroh chuckled while rubbing his belly. "Also, it seems that one of my employees has developed a crush on a very close friend."_

_He could only be talking about one person. "Are you talking about Aang?"_

_Iroh blinked as if he suddenly realized what he said. "Nooo," he drew out slowly and suspiciously. "I, most certainly, am not talking about Aang or the crush that he may or may not have developed on Toph. Would your uncle ever lie to you?"_

_There was a pause that hung in the air._

_"If you're going to tell anyone," Iroh began as he looked from side to side. "Make sure that you leave my name out of it."_

Which led him to Azula's and Suki's office. Toph and Aang were supposed to have had that meeting with the two females today, but they both canceled. Honestly, it was ridiculous and a bit unsettling just how in sync those two were with each other without even knowing it. They were even growing feelings for each other at the same time. They always joked about having best friend telepathy, but Zuko was beginning to think that it was real.

This time, Suki was sitting in the large chair while Azula reclined onto the desk. They liked to share positions with power with one another to make sure that everything was fair.

"I knew that you were in over your head with those two," Suki said after a moment.

"I am not!" Zuko spat out immediately. He ignored those smug looks on their faces. He needed to fix this mess and quickly. "The operations are at risk. Didn't you hear what I said?"

Azula picked at her ear. "It was kind of hard not to. You were yelling the whole time."

"I was speaking _passionately_ ," Zuko corrected.

"You were yelling," both women said before Azula continued. "So, _Operation: Zutara_ is at risk because they're afraid to be around each other. You can still work on that operation by yourself."

"Yeah," Suki said with an emphatic nod. "Grow some balls, grab Katara by the waist, and plant a wet one on her."

Before her brother could say anything else, Azula continued. "We can still work on _Operation: Taang_. It's not like they need to be _working_ together for them to _get_ together."

"That's the thing," Zuko began with a shake of his head. "They absolutely _do_ need to be working together in order for them _be_ together. This whole thing _began_ with them working on _Operation: Zutara_ , it will _continue_ with them working on _Operation: Zutara_ , and it will _end_ with them working on _Operation: Zutara_."

Suki glanced at Azula. "OCD?"

"He's gotten much better."

"I bet."

Zuko palmed his face.

"But, he does have a point," Azula said, prompting Zuko to remove his hand from over his face.

"I agree," Suki said approvingly. "If there's one thing that this whole debacle needs, it's definitely consistency."

"How are we going to keep that consistency if they won't even come near each other?"

"Which is pretty surprising. They're usually attached at the hip."

"Before Zuko ruined their dynamic, you mean."

"Before Zuko ruined their dynamic is what I definitely mean."

"That's why they sabotaged his date."

"He can't keep his nose out of people's-"

"Okay!" Zuko interrupted. "I'm in over my head with those two! I ruined their dynamic! I can keep my nose out of people's business, just not theirs, and I'm pretty sure that it's because I've spent too much time with Uncle! They were fine at the game and after, but they were incredibly quiet while I was dropping them home! You were right to warn me about relational problems! I'm a man of honor and I will accept that!"

Suki looked thoroughly satisfied. "How are you so sure that Toph's growing feelings for him, anyway? You've got proof for him, but not her."

Zuko was pretty sure that the only reason _Toph Beifong_ would ever cry at the possibilty of someone leaving her, it was because she had strong feelings for them. But, he wouldn't tell them that. As much of a brat as she was, Toph was still his friend and he couldn't sell her out like that. Plus, he promised not to tell.

"Trust me, she feels the same." When both women nodded, he continued with a sigh, relieved that they didn't delve any deeper. "But, how are we going to fix this?"

Azula was tempted to ask him what he meant by that ' _we_ ' he slipped in, but they were all in this together. "We fix this by thinking like them."

Zuko's brows knitted. "Thinking like them?"

Suki tapped her chin contemplatively. "What would Toph and Aang do if they were sitting here plotting with us instead of you?"

Finally, after much deliberation and analyzation of Toph and Aang's friendship, Azula, Zuko, and Suki had come to a conclusion. No matter what anyone said, including Toph, Aang would always be there to rescue her and she would always be there to rescue him. They were best friends. They might have been growing feelings for each other, but the fact remained that their friendship ran deep and both would help the other as soon as they got the call.

This was now officially Mission Two of _Operation: Taang_ \- Reunited. Zuko knew for a fact that Toph's parents hated when she name dropped - her father, in particular, but they didn't want to get her into that much trouble. So, they called her mother - Poppy Beifong, who was much sweeter and more lenient. Zuko also knew that Suki was an incredibly talented voice impersonator, meaning that she could perfectly imitate the voice of the Palace's manager.

Simply put, the plan was to get Toph into trouble and have her call Aang up, therefore forcing them to reunite and come into contact with one another. This wasn't going to hook them up, but it would fix what Zuko messed up.

_..Present.._

It was ridiculous to think about just _how_ conflicted Aang was when Toph sent him the text canceling their meeting with Azula and Suki. He had to admit that he wasn't looking forward to having that meeting, simply because he wasn't sure if he could be near Toph without acting like a fool (he was _pretty_ sure that he would have acted like a fool). But, as soon as he got that text, he immediately found himself wishing that he could see her. And not just for the meeting.

He shook his head at that thought. Currently, he was sitting in his room at his desk, attempting to study. ' _Attempting_ ' being the key word since his brain was dead set on distracting him with thoughts of her.

This was _Toph_ , for goodness' sake. She was his best friend - his best friend of sixteen years. It wasn't like he could talk to anyone about this, either. He definitely couldn't speak to Zuko about it. Sokka was out of the question. Katara was a good listener, but she would probably stab him repeatedly and he just wasn't close enough to Azula and Suki. He could speak to Iroh about it because the old man was very easy to talk to and was a walking, talking fortune cookie (granted, some of those fortunes rarely ever did relate to any of the situations at hand) but, this quality also made him dangerous. Without him even meaning to, Aang would end up spilling his guts to Iroh. He had already done this before and he was pretty sure that it was because he hadn't gotten the proper hours of sleep the night before, and because he was just so unsettled that he ended up spewing everything out to the first outlet he found. However, he was not about to do that again. He couldn't even go to his father because that would mean admitting to losing that bet.

In fact, the _one_ and _only_ person who Aang could talk to about this whole thing, in confidence, and who would make him feel better, without a doubt, was the _one_ person that this whole situation about.

Aang slapped his hands over his face and bit back a groan. He was almost twenty years old and was acting like a child. He couldn't even remember the last time he had a crush. He didn't even have one on Koko - _she_ came after _him_.

On his desk, his phone vibrated and sang a little jingle. Aang peeked through his fingers to check who it was.

His heart stopped. It was _her_. He hadn't talked to her all day.

Immediately, his hand shot out to grab the phone. Then, he stopped. He couldn't just answer the phone like that. He would seem desperate.

But, he _was_ desperate to talk to her.

But, he couldn't let it show.

_"But, you can't just let that phone ring!"_ a voice added.

He shook his head and cleared his throat before he pressed the ' _answer_ ' button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Toph told herself that she wouldn't call Aang, but as soon as her mother stepped out of that door, she immediately felt emotionally and mentally drained. She knew that she needed an outlet - an outlet who would not be Katara. Katara was fine, but she wasn't Toph's best friend. So, she gave in, retired to her room, and called him. As much as she tried to escape him today, she had to admit that as soon as she heard his voice, she felt better. This didn't surprise her - she always felt better when she talked to her best friend. "What are you doing?"

Aang glanced at the barely studied notes and open book. "Just doing some studying for tomorrow."

She sat up in her bed. "Oh," she said. "Sorry-"

"No, it's fine." He gave his notes a dismissive look. "I'd much rather be talking to you, anyway."

She smiled a bit at that. "My mother came over." With that, she fell back onto her bed. She could practically hear his brain halting. "Yeah, tell me about it."

Okay, she definitely needed to talk to him. So, he reclined into his seat. "What was the occasion?"

"She and my dad found out about my name dropping at the Palace." When he laughed, she rolled her eyes. "It's not funny." It was a little funny. "They're treating me like a baby."

"To be fair, you are acting like a brat."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me something I don't know. It's not my fault that I got a bit too overzealous in taking Zuko down."

"Eh, no worries. I was feeding off of your energy. If I was rich, I would have name dropped right after you. What happened after?"

"I did her hair."

His face scrunched up. "You did your mother's hair?"

"I did my mother's hair."

"That sounds like something-"

"Katara would do? Ugh. I know!"

He laughed at that. Aang hadn't realized just how much he had missed his best friend after only one day of separation. "Why did you do her hair?"

She snorted. "To get her off of my back. She kept talking about how my hair was too _lovely_ to be tied up in such an _unkempt_ manner so, I told her that this was a trend. I wouldn't be surprised if she got hit on by tomorrow, though. She looked nice." When Aang chuckled a bit, she took in a breath. "I missed her."

Aang smiled. "Apparently, she missed you, too, if she let you do her hair."

" _Aang_."

The smile grew a bit impish. "What about your father. Do you miss him?"

"He hated that I was into architecture and said that it was a complete waste of time. Even after I got that scholarship, he planned to have me take over his business, regardless of what I thought."

"He stifled you at home."

"He stifled me in that house. That's why I left."

"So, is that a 'no'?"

"That's an 'I'm not sure'."

Other people might have thought that she was a brat for not taking advantage of her parent's money, but he understood. Money and gifts were never all that it took to raise a child. It took much more than that. It took actual _parenting_ , which her parents neglected to do in order to continue their business ventures. What good was a family if there was no support system for the child?

Although Aang just had his father, he was glad that his father was supportive of anything that he did, even if he didn't agree. Nevertheless, he was Toph's family. He had been Toph's family for the past few years and he would continue to be. "You're going to have to talk to him sometime."

"I know." She did know. Once again, she wasn't the type to beat around the bush. She would take care of it. Someday. With a shake of her head, she continued. "She asked about you."

His brow raised. "Really?" He glanced at his bed. It was looking pretty inviting at the moment. But, he needed to study. So, he weighed his options: he could either stay at his desk, surrounded by books and notes _or_ he could go relax on his bed and talk to _Toph_ on the phone.

Needless to say, by now, he was on his bed. "What did she say?"

"Oh," she began in a tone that sounded like her mother. "Where's Aang? I always did like him. He was like a second son to me, that Aang boy was. Tell me Tophy, have you two gone deeper into your relationship, yet?"

He laughed (she smiled at the sound) because it really did sound like her mother. "She's not the only one who thinks that we'll get married, huh?"

"That is if Koko doesn't get to you first."

" _Ew_!" He ignored her laughter. "Oh, my goodness, Toph! Don't say _that_!"

Her laughter continued as she moved to pull the covers over herself. Then, she rested her head on a pillow. "She's a sneaky one. She'll have you on bended knee, proposing to her before you even realize it."

He rolled his eyes he rearranged the pillow underneath his head. "I'd choose you over Koko any day." Aang would choose Toph over _anybody_ any day. He startled himself a bit with that thought. Mainly because that thought was normal. After all, she was his best friend - he would choose her over anybody. But, _that_ thought was _not_ on a best friend basis.

"Why wouldn't you?" she asked, drawing him from his thoughts.

He relaxed a bit at the sound of the smile floating around in her voice. "Besides, I can't trust Koko to be the mother of all ten of my children."

"Koko is definitely the one for you. She's the only woman crazy enough to actually be willing to have all those kids for you. And trust me, she'd be willing."

"Seriously, Toph!" She laughed and he couldn't stop the smile that slid onto his face at the sound. He stifled a yawn. "Once again, I'd choose you over Koko any day."

That really did sound good when his voice was all husky like that. It as a little past midnight, so he must have been tired. She really should let him go to sleep. But, the spoiled brat in her won out because his tired and husky voice was just so... Sexy. Even if he was her best friend.

She shook that off because it really was his own fault.

Oh, and because he was her best friend. "I would never have those ten kids, Aang."

"Fine. Nine."

" _Aang_."

With an impish, but tired smile, he shut his eyes. "The first one would be a girl. I'm thinking of calling her Tophina. The second one would be a boy, Tophimanious-"

"What hideous names."

"They'd be named after you, you ingrate."

"You're the ingrate. You get the chance to woo me into being the mother of your children and this is the bile you feed to me."

He laughed a husky laugh that sent shivers down her spine. "Fine, how about Elizabeth?"

"Like the queen?"

"Yeah. You're a queen, right?"

A full smile broke out onto her face at that. "Of course."

"She'd be the princess."

"Does that mean that you're a king?"

"I'm a pauper, but I'd be a king if I married you."

"I don't recall you asking me to marry you. You just went straight for the kids."

"Fine. Want to get married?"

"Not if that's how you're asking."

" _Toph_."

"You don't even have a last name."

"I do so have a last name!"

"No one knows your last name!"

"Plenty of people know my last name," he said proudly (yet, there was a tinge of uncertainty in his voice).

Toph heard that uncertainty. She rolled her eyes. "If we get married, you'd have to take my last name."

"Mr. and Mrs. Aang Beifong?"

"Mrs. and Mr. _Toph_ Beifong," she corrected. "I come first. I'm daddy, remember?"

"You act like it."

She laughed a bit. "I like Elizabeth."

This wasn't the first time that they joked about getting married and having children together. After all, they were best friends. If there was anyone to marry and have children with later on in life, your best friend should always be one of the first options, if not the very first. But, for some reason, this time, speaking about having children with her felt different. It felt... nice. Really nice.

He smiled to himself. "Me, too."

"You know," she began after a pleasant pause. "You can't just pick and choose which kid will come out first."

"You're right," he agreed. "Once you pop them out-"

" _Aang_."

"Once you give birth, we'd wait out to see what their personalities are like. Then, we'd name them according to that."

What a stupid concept. Still, she laughed quietly at that. Probably because she didn't want to disturb Katara, he guessed. "What would you call them while we're trying to figure their personalities out?"

"Kid." He grinned when he heard a smack.

"What if there are twins?"

"I'd be all, 'Hey, kid one. Hey, kid two.' Whoever answers first gets the name that we were keeping saved for the first."

An incredulous laugh escaped her that made him smile.

"I'm definitely not having your kids."

His smile grew.


	13. Chapter 13

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Thirteen

.

"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies."

― Aristotle

.

It was his phone's alarm, blaring directly over his ear, that woke Aang up that morning. Startled and with a bit of a shout, he sat up and swatted the phone away, wincing a bit when it fell onto the ground. As the phone's alarm continued to play, Aang could only hope that it hadn't cracked.

Then, he decided that if it had cracked, it was what that _stupid_ phone deserved for blaring over his ear and almost causing him to be deaf. What was that _stupid_ phone doing over his ear and not in it's charger, anyway?

That was when he remembered that he had been talking to Toph. All night. Aang couldn't remember the last time he fell asleep on the phone while talking to a girl. He couldn't even remember falling asleep. In fact, all he did remember was her tired giggles and slurred responses before fading away.

As a tired smile slid onto his face, he rubbed his forehead with a yawn as he surveyed his room. He had a feeling that he was forgetting something. He just didn't know what it was. He was pretty sure that it wasn't his hopefully un-cracked phone on the floor, still blaring that alarm.

Oh, right. He had a test today. The test that he had been _attempting_ to study for before Toph called. Now he remembered why his mother was so against relationships while schooling. They distracted you and made you forget about the important things. Aang could safely say that he agreed with his mother now because all he could think about was if he failed his test, it would totally be worth it.

Swiftly, he made his way over to his desk and began flipping through his notes. He was just lucky that he knew most of the material because he would have stepped into that classroom and proudly failed that test with the giddiest smile. After all, it would only be that one test. And for her.

He shook his head. This was Toph. She was his best friend and he wasn't supposed to be thinking about her like this. Still, he found himself fighting a smile.

The soft padding of Appa's paws entered the room before the dog approached him. Suddenly, the alarm could be heard again. He looked down and found Appa beside him with the phone in his mouth. His father must have sent him up.

Aang crouched down and held his hand out, allowing the large dog to place the phone into his palm. The phone was wet, slobbering, and thankfully unharmed. "Thanks, boy."

Appa bowed his head for Aang to pet. Once he got his morning pet, the large dog gave a farewell bark and exited the room.

A smile slid onto Aang's face. Appa always was smarter than other dogs. At that, he shut the alarm off. As soon as he shut the alarm off, the screen automatically switched to the callers' log.

_11:53 PM - Toph - Incoming Call - 6 hours and 11 minutes_

Hell, no wonder he was so tired. And his phone was about to die.

Honestly, _all_ of her tired giggles and slurred responses were worth everything right now.

He could charge his phone at school.

_Toph's best friend telepathy was tingling. Something was wrong with Aang - she just knew it. Her suspicions were further supported by the fact that he didn't show up to school today, but that wasn't the point that she was trying to make. Her best friend telepathy was tingling, damn it, and she was going to find out what was wrong with her best friend._

_So, as soon as the bell to end school resounded, she made her way over to his house. She didn't even ring the bell, not that she needed to. As Aang's best friend who was worrying about him, she took the initiative and dug up the spare key. Once she found it, she slipped it into the key hole, turned the knob, and made her way into the great house._

_It was quiet, which wasn't really a surprise to her. The house usually was quiet before she arrived since his parents were always at the hospital. "Aang?" she called out as she locked the door behind her. "Hello?"_

_When there was no answer, she unceremoniously dropped her backpack onto the floor and made her way up the stairs. Maybe he was in his room. For some reason, when she finally reached his bedroom door, her stomach turned and knotted. However, she ignored that and opened the door to his room._

_A sigh of relief escaped her when she found him on his bed throwing a ball into the air before catching it. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"_

_He didn't look at her, but he did shrug. "Don't you know how to knock?"_

_She blinked at that. That was certainly unexpected. "What's got your panties in a twist?"_

_"What makes you say that?"_

_"You're acting weird."_

_"I'm not acting weird." He sat up and threw the ball at her._

_Honestly, if it weren't for her quick reflexes, that ball would have taken out her two front teeth. With a scowl, she rubbed her wrist with her other hand. "Yes, you are. What's your problem?" she asked as she threw the ball at him, probably (hopefully) rougher than he did._

_"I don't have a problem," he said as he threw the ball back, ignoring her pained sound._

_"Why didn't you come to school today?" she asked as she threw the ball._

_He merely threw it back and she pulled away with a wince. He didn't even look sorry._

_That was it. She threw the ball and it narrowly missed his cheek. "You better be happy that I didn't aim for your face!"_

_He stood at her threat. "What is that supposed to mean?!"_

_"What the hell is your problem?!"_

_"How many times do I need to tell you that I don't have a problem?!"_

_"How many times do I need to remind you that I can tell when you're lying to me?!" The boy was getting on her very last nerve. He was her best friend, but they just clashed too easily sometimes. "You're acting like a brat!"_

_"Oh!" That got a rise out of him. "I'm acting like a brat, Toph? Are you the only one who gets to act like a brat?"_

_"Yes!" she exclaimed with a stomp of her foot. He took a step forward, and she had to admit that she almost took a step back. At twelve years old, he was steadily growing taller, much taller than her, but she stood her ground. "You don't get to act like a brat if you're acting like this!"_

_"Oh, really?" Before she could say anything, he took a step forward and said, "Do I get to act like a brat if my mother died?"_

_This time, she actually did take a step back. His mother died? Toph knew that she was in the hospital, but she was always expecting her to get better. "Aang, I'm sorry-"_

_"Don't tell me that you're sorry. Answer me."_

_She blinked. "What?"_

_"Am I allowed to act like a brat now?"_

_"Aang, I didn't mean it like that. I didn't know-"_

_"So, I don't get to act like a brat either way? That spot is reserved for you?"_

_"Aang, please-"_

_"Damn it, answer me, Toph!"_

_A gasp escaped her at his sudden outburst. Aang rarely ever swore and he never yelled like that - never at her. Immediately, a pained look of regret passed through his eyes. With a sigh, he sat on the floor, propping his elbows on his knees to place his face into his hands. "I'm sorry."_

_"It's fine."_

_"No, it's not."_

_The padding of his fingers were digging into his skin. So, she made her way over to him and sat on her knees before taking his hands from his face and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I forgive you."_

_"But, it's not okay," he said as he returned the embrace. "That was mean. I shouldn't have done that."_

_Then, they were quiet because she really didn't know what to do or say. She just wasn't good with this kind of stuff. Aang was the biggest momma's boy she had ever met. She didn't need her best friend telepathy to know that he was torn. But, she could feel his pain and it hurt her. This was her best friend, the best friend that she had ever had, and his mother just died. She didn't even want to imagine how he was really feeling._

_"When I first shaved my head," he began quietly after some time. "I thought that seeing me like that would give her enough strength to fight it. But, it didn't. She's gone."_

_She could feel his tears on her shoulder, so she hugged him closer and swallowed the choked sob that was currently attempting to escape. "Aang," she began, her voice wavering. "I'm so sorry."_

_"It didn't work, Toph." The slight cracking of his voice made her stomach turn._

_"I know." When he moved to burrow his face into her neck and she could feel his wet cheeks, that choked sob finally escaped. "I'm so sorry, Aang."_

_"Why did my mother have to die?" he asked as he hugged her closer. "I didn't even get to say 'goodbye'."_

_"Not 'goodbye'," she told him after a moment because she really wasn't good with this. But, he was her best friend and she would try for him. "'See you later', remember? You told me that."_

_He nodded into her neck. "You won't leave me, too, will you?"_

_"No," she said immediately. She didn't even have to think about it. "You're my best friend. I won't ever leave you."_

_"Do you promise?"_

_"Yes," she said because the way he was holding her showed that he really was afraid that she was going to leave him. "I promise I won't ever leave you. Do you promise?"_

_Once again, he nodded into her neck. "I promise I won't ever leave you, Toph."_

_"I'll always be here for you."_

_"And I'll always take care of you."_

_Normally, she would have told him that she didn't need anyone to protect her, especially not some bald headed, basketball loving, momma's boy. But, things weren't really normal anymore. So, she nodded and shut her eyes. "I know. I know you will."_

_"I love you, Toph."_

_"I love you, Aang."_

Surprisingly enough, Zuko's plan worked. All Suki and Azula knew was that they sent Toph's mother over to push her over the edge. They didn't know what happened afterwards. However, whatever did happen afterwards managed to put the two back on track and their dynamic had returned.

"It isn't like we can just show up like last time-"

"He'll probably be looking out for us now-"

"We need to send them somewhere nice and romantic-"

"Real first date material since we ruined their first-"

"But, where?"

Needless to say, Toph and Aang were back in action. They were also finally having that meeting with Azula and Suki, but it wasn't like the two women needed to be there. Honestly, ever since the two troublemakers arrived to their double office, they had just been pacing back and forth with their ideas and thoughts bouncing off of the other.

Even if she wasn't involved, the entire scene, all of the pacing and the fluid bouncing back and forth of ideas should have given Azula an adrenaline rush. Instead, it was making her antsy. Goodness, she _hated_ how they just knew what the other was thinking like that. It just wasn't _natural_.

Azula cleared her throat. "Might I suggest-"

"Not another dinner," they declared together.

Azula gritted her teeth while Suki snorted. _None_ of this was _natural_!

"First date material-"

"Not another dinner-"

"Can't be open spaced-"

"But, has to be intimate-"

"Minimal talking?"

"Minimal talking."

A pause.

Azula opened her mouth to speak. This was her chance.

Toph and Aang stopped their pacing with the simultaneous snapping of their fingers. "Movies!"

Suki released a long winded snort while Azula quietly seethed, "None of this is natural."


	14. Chapter 14

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Fourteen

.

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

.

Mission Four - The Movies

.

Movie theaters are notorious for the effect that they have on the hormonal patterns of humans. Hormonal, in the sense of behaviors and moods. It didn't matter the age, gender, or ethnicity - if the movie was funny, it would make you laugh and put you in a good mood; if it was sad, it would probably make you cry along with making you gloomy; if it was action packed, it would probably leave you with a feeling of invincibility, and so on and so forth.

The same concept obviously applied to romantic movies - especially in regards to women. Romantic movies are also notorious for drawing out an onslaught of emotions within women. Depending on how sappy it was, the movie could make a woman cry, smile, laugh, and experience the same heartbreak as the characters within a time slot of one to two hours. A prime example of this was _Titanic_ , which actually ran for four hours, and got the job done with both genders.

The main point is that movie theaters and romantic movies work hand in hand in drawing out strong emotions, no matter the gender, age, or ethnicity. Which was why the fourth mission of _Operation: Zutara_ was being held at a movie theater. Toph and Aang cleverly deduced that a romantic movie would be perfect for finally hooking Zutara up, no matter how hard headed the two were.

Katara was already emotional enough. Just stick her in a movie theater, play a sappy movie, and she would be done. Zuko, however, wasn't as emotionally open as Katara, but that didn't take away from the fact that he would do anything for her. Including sit through _The Notebook_ in a half empty theater on a Sunday afternoon.

Honestly, Toph didn't feel safe there. At all. She had literally just come to terms with her feelings for her best friend. She really shouldn't have been sitting in the dark with him in the back (the _make out_ area, of all places), where she could literally _feel_ the sexual hormones of everyone around them projecting themselves onto her. However, she wasn't the type to just give up on anything or throw herself onto anyone, especially if that _anyone_ was her best friend.

It wasn't as if Aang didn't feel the same - not that any of them knew it. Sitting in the make out area of the movie theater didn't exactly help with his wanting to kiss her senseless, especially when a movie like _The Notebook_ was playing. At the moment, all he wanted was to take her face into his hands, _literally_ kiss the sense _and_ breath out of her so that her cheeks would flush up and become the same shade of the lips that _he_ made swollen, have those pale jade eyes become hazy and lidded, and make her forget all about the stupid mission.

Consequences be damned.

Every, single, last one of them.

And there _would_ be consequences.

This was why he steeled himself. That, and the fact that she was his best friend.

Luckily for him, Katara bounced a little in her seat. Beside her, Zuko nodded.

"She likes this movie, huh?" Aang whispered to her.

Toph snorted quietly as she watched the screen. "She _loves_ this movie; she's seen it, like, thirty seven times-"

" _Thirty seven?_ "

"Actually, it might be forty-eight considering how many times it shows on TV-"

"Holy crap-"

"I've never seen it, but I know everything about it because she never shuts up about it."

"You've never seen _The Notebook_?"

"No. Why?"

"I don't know. I just thought this movie was a rite of passage for women or something."

"You might be thinking of _Mean Girls_."

"I'm pretty sure that you've seen _The Notebook_ before, T."

"I'm pretty sure that I haven't. Not that I'll ever need to while living with Katara."

"No, every girl has seen _The Notebook_."

"I thought you'd realize by now that I'm not like other girls."

Hell if he didn't. "Even _I've_ seen _The Notebook_ before."

"That makes sense. You've always been a bit more feminine than me."

"You've always been a lot manlier than me."

By now, there was a smile on her face. She looked to him, her stomach turning a bit at the silver transparency of his eyes on her before she spoke. "Which further supports the fact that I'll be the husband if we happen to get married."

The _'I'll'_ she used despite the _'if'_ made a smile of his own grow. "I don't care if I end up as the husband or wife if I get to marry you," he blurted out before he could stop himself. The growth of her smile was worth the verbal diarrhea.

A couple of people turned around to viciously shush them, inviting a few others to turn and search for the disturbance. Including Zuko and Katara.

Toph and Aang immediately slid down their seats and ducked.

"Okay! Okay!" Toph whispered harshly at their assailants with the fanning of her hand. "We'll shut up! Just turn around, damn it!"

With a parting and seemingly single glare, the people turned around and all attention was taken away from them.

"Are they still looking?" Toph asked.

Cautiously, Aang took a peak for Katara's blue eyes and Zuko's amber before he shook his head and sat up. "They've turned around. We're good."

Toph sighed and sat up. "Katara loves sappy movies," she began with a smile when Katara released a sigh. "She never shuts up about how _emotionally therapeutic_ they are."

He raised a brow. "You sure do know a lot about Katara. I didn't think that you paid attention to her like that."

A snort. "Of course, I pay attention to Katara. She's an annoying and smothering mama Beifong wannabe, but she's still my best female friend."

A pause.

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

" _Katara's_ your _best_ female friend?"

"Yes, why?"

"I just thought that _I-_ "

" _Female_ , Aang."

"As the first and original best friend, I'm pretty sure that I cover all bases - both male _and_ female."

"You're jealous!"

"I'm not jealous!" He was so jealous.

"I can tell when you're lying to me!"

An onslaught of hushes prompted them to duck and quiet down.

Then, once everyone turned their attention away from them, Toph relaxed into her seat. "Besides, you're leaving anyway. I need someone to replace you, right?"

His eyes were immediately on her. She looked entirely too calm. Toph could always tell when he was lying, but he couldn't do the same with her. Not always. She was very good at poker faces. "That's not funny."

"Who says that I was joking?" she asked as a corner of her mouth curved up. "If I can't replace you with Katara, maybe Kahn will do. He makes me laugh and he has dimples."

Normally, her smiles would have eased him, but not this time - _especially_ if she was planning to replace him with _Kahn_. "I'm still not sure if I'm leaving. You know that."

"I do know that," she agreed. "And I'm still wondering why."

_'Because of you,'_ he almost said. Almost.

"Would you really replace me with Kahn?" he asked instead.

"I was kidding."

"It wasn't funny."

"You're such a baby." When he didn't respond, she finally turned her attention from the movie with a sigh to look at him. "I could never replace you."

He smiled a bit. That sounded really good.

"Sadly enough."

That didn't. _"Toph."_

She seemed to be fighting a smile. "He admires you and talks about you a lot. So, he'd be good for when I'm missing you-"

"If I leave."

"Plus, he makes me laugh," she continued undeterred. "Wouldn't you want the best friend that you're leaving behind in order to go to school all the way on the other side of the world to be happy?"

Of course, he would want his best friend to be happy. He just wanted _her_ to be happy. And recently, he was discovering that _he_ wanted to be the reason behind this happiness - _her_ happiness. As bizarre as that sounded. If Kahn was going to make her happy, then perhaps Aang would have to allow it. Perhaps. "Of course."

"Good." Then, she looked back to the movie and slumped into her seat with a heavy sigh. "Ugh. We haven't had such a cheesy talk in a while."

"Effects of _The Notebook,_ " he mused. "It does that to people."

"Don't you ever tell anyone about this or else I'll wring your head clean off of your neck."

"Did that get all of the mushiness out?"

"Partly."

Then, a huff escaped her as she surveyed the audience. Almost all of the couples were entangled in each other or in some type of a romantic embrace, with the woman's head on her date's shoulder or the man's arm around his date. Toph ignored the jealousy bubbling up in her stomach and the urge to just take Aang's hand to put his arm over her shoulder _herself_ in order to look at her subjects. Of course, Zuko and Katara were stuck in the same position that they were in when the movie first began. "What the hell is wrong with them?"

As if he could sense her question, as they always could with each other, he shrugged. "Maybe we should throw something at them."

A short, quiet laugh escaped her. This was truly her partner in crime. "I don't have anything. Do you? Wait." Then, she took a pause to dig into her pockets before she took out her ticket strip.

Aang nodded and took out his own to hand it to her. He watched her roll them up. "Are you going to do the honors?"

She shook her head and gave him the rolled up tickets. "You've got better aim, Mr. Basketball Player."

"Did you just admit that?"

"I just gave you a last name."

_"Toph."_

"You're welcome."

With a roll of his eyes, he ignored the slight turn of his stomach when she smiled and chucked the rolled up tickets. When it hit Katara's shoulder, he and Toph ducked with smothered giggles. After a moment, the two trouble makers peaked up and over the heads in front of them.

Katara seemed to be brushing her shoulder with a shake of her head. Beside her, Zuko seemed to be wanting to make a move to turn around. That twitch in his neck was evidence of that. Instead of turning around, he placed his arm around Katara and they both returned to the movie.

It took all of Toph's willpower not to cheer and blow her and Aang's cover. She settled for a beaming grin as she relaxed into her seat. "Finally."

Aang almost snorted. "It took us throwing something at them."

"You think that you could do better than him?"

"I know that I could." In fact, Aang could _show_ both Zuko _and_ Toph how much better he could do. Before he had a chance to actually tell her this (and maybe demonstrate), she took her phone out. With a slight shake of her head and after a few texts, she leaned into Aang to show him the screen.

_**Katara:** Where are you?_

_**Toph:** Home. Y?_

_**Katara:** WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FULLY WORDED SENTENCES, TOPH? Anyway, Zuko seems to think otherwise._

_**Toph:** Dis iz txtin. Wut duz Grap3v1n3 think, ma? _

_**Katara:** NOW YOURE JUST DOING THAT TO BOTHER ME. He thinks that you're here._

_**Toph:** Haha! Was it that obvious? And where's 'here'? (Btw - you missed an apostrophe, miss.)_

_**Katara:** The movie theater. (*By the way* Whatever.)_

Simultaneously, Toph and Aang looked up to watch the backs of Zuko's and Katara's heads. When Zuko turned around, they ducked.

Toph glared at her phone. "Did he put trackers on us or something?!"

"It would make sense," Aang said. "We did sabotage their date."

"Not a date," they both corrected.

Toph handed him her phone. "Answer her."

_**Toph:** I'm home. Why would you believe Grapevine over me, anyway? We live together._

_**Katara:** Aw, don't do that. He just thinks that he saw you and Aang behind us. Especially after some jerks behind us threw something at us. Totally something you two would do._

Before Aang could respond, another text came in.

_**Katara:** TOPH BEIFONG ARE YOU HOME ALONE WITH AANG?_

Aang showed Toph the screen and an impish smile grew onto her face. "Should we ruin this?"

He shrugged with an impish smile of his own. "They seemed to be enjoying it."

"Past tense?"

"Before Zuko noticed us," they said together with a nod.

"Zuko did get to put his arm around her," Toph said contemplatively.

"One point for us?"

"One point for us."

"Is that enough for today?"

"I'd say so."

_**Toph:** You missed a comma._

As soon as Aang sent that text, Katara was up and making her way out of the movie theater with Zuko following close behind her. In all of their years of being friends with Katara, the only time that they had ever seen her move that fast was when she was competing. But, it seemed that the mere thought of Toph and Aang being all alone in a house with no adult supervision paired up with her motherly instincts drew it all out again.

Now, Toph told Katara that she was home. Obviously, this was a lie. But, she and Aang knew that they wouldn't be able to beat Katara home. So, they were taking their sweet time on the road. What was one more lie? Besides, it wasn't like Katara wouldn't be waiting up for her in order to perform a pat down at the door.

"Can I drive?"

"I don't know. Can you?"

"Fine. May I drive?"

"Your feet can't even reach the pedals."

"My fist can reach your face."

"We're too young to die, T."

_"Aang."_

A smile tugged at his lips. Once he reached a red light, he looked at her and his stomach turned. It wasn't like he was going to deny her. Toph was always able to get him to do whatever she wanted him to do - no questions asked, although there would be a petty argument just to bother her. But, the problem with developing a crush on someone - his best friend - was that his walls didn't even crumble. They just weren't there anymore.

And those eyes...

He released a sigh of resignation. "I'll pull over when the light turns green."

The sight of her smile was worth it, but both of their faces fell when a car pulled up next to them blaring loud metal music. "Hey!" the driver called out. "Nice car!"

Toph and Aang glanced at each other before meeting the driver's eyes. "Thanks."

"I meant 'nice' for how _old_ it is!" the young man let out an obnoxious laugh and high-fived the person beside him. "I mean, you must be doing _something_ right if you've got this cutie in the car with you! No matter how messed up your engine might be!"

"You mean how messed up his engine _is_!" the person in the passengers seat corrected, sending them off into a fit of giggles.

The light turned green and the driver let out another laugh. "Listen, sweets, when you're done hanging out with this bald monk, come find me!" With that, he sped off, his engine revving.

Toph and Aang were quiet. Cars honked at them for standing still at a green light before swerving around them, but they ignored that.

"You still want to drive?"

"I got the compliment. You got called a monk."

Without a moment of hesitation, Aang revved the engine and the car sped off.

A grin slid onto her face as she gripped her seat and looked to Aang. Toph couldn't remember the last time that Aang had driven this fast. It was a complete adrenaline rush, even if she was just sitting in the passenger's seat.

A muscle in his jaw ticked before clenching.

And it was hot.

Toph blinked and looked to the road. Since when was the word 'hot' _ever_ associated with _Aang_? This was _Aang._ She could still remember him needing to be accompanied to the bathroom by his mother, for goodness' sake. He was a bald, goody goody, earth loving, basketball freak. Sure, she was growing feelings for him, feelings that she was doing her best to ignore, but that didn't take away from the fact that he was her best friend. Even if he wasn't her best friend, she didn't think that she would _ever_ think of Aang as being _hot_.

The metal music from their offender's car was heard and soon enough, they were met with them. Those two were still laughing their heads off, but once they saw Aang, their faces dropped. "Hey-! I shouldn't even be looking at you!"

Toph rolled the window down. "Only _I_ get to call him a monk!"

Aang sped past them, cut them off, and drove off.

She looked at him. There was a smirk playing at his lips.

Her grin widened as a slight laugh escaped her.

Aang was _so_ hot.

_When Aang turned fourteen, Toph turned pretty. Having an attractive best friend didn't bother him. If they fought, which they did often, her face was always a good picker upper. (Of course, he would never tell her this.) What_ did _bother him was the onslaught of potential suitors that suddenly began pursuing her. Now, Aang wasn't jealous - that just wasn't his thing, especially since Toph was his best friend. What_ was _his thing was protecting Toph from those disgusting boys. Toph didn't need anyone's protection, everyone knew this and she made sure of it, but he was pretty sure that it was now his job to punch in the teeth of any boy who had anything slick to say about her._

_Which was why he was currently holding Pin up against the wall with his hand around his neck._

_Honestly, it didn't have to come down to this. Pin's mouth was just so slick and it had Toph's name spewing out of it. Profusely. Aang wasn't normally this violent. Actually, he was never violent. At all. In fact, he was pretty sure that this violent episode was all her influence, too. But, that was another thing entirely._

_"Aang!" a boy pleaded. "Let him go! He's turning blue!"_

_A nice shade of blue if Aang could say so himself. Nevertheless, he shoved Pin against the wall, taking pride in the other boy's groan. "Repeat what you said to me. I need to make sure that I didn't make a mistake."_

_"I said," Pin gasped out. "I just said that she was hot!"_

_"She's hot?" Aang asked. "What, like a fire? Is she a volcano or something? Last time I checked, she was human."_

_"Actually," someone piped in as they pushed their glasses further up the bridge of their nose. "Humans do get hot when they get sick!"_

_"Oh!" Aang gasped._

_Pin shot the person a glare. Suddenly, Aang's grip around his neck tightened, prompting him to return his attention to the bald headed boy with a gasp._

_"So, you think that my best friend is carrying some type of life threatening disease?"_

_"That's-! That's not what I meant-!"_

_"So, what did you mean?"_

_"I just meant that she was good looking!"_

_"Oh!"_

_Everyone around groaned._

_"So, my best friend is just here for your viewing pleasure, then?! Aesthetically pleasing, huh?!"_

_"That's not what I meant!"_

_"Tell me what you meant, Pin. I obviously misunderstood."_

_Pin seemed to be debating on answering before he swallowed and remained silent._

_Good. He had nothing else to say. Aang took a step forward and his nose brushed Pin's. "I don't want you talking to her, talking about her, thinking about her, thinking about talking to her, or thinking about talking about her. I'll know if you disobey me."_

_A wavering voice in the background cried out, "He'll know!" before a faint cough escaped him._

_There was a tingling on the back of Aang's neck which was strange because he was already surrounded by a crowd of people. So, he glanced behind him to find Toph leaning on a wall with her arms crossed. "Oh, hey, T. You look pretty today."_

_Pale jade eyes scanned the crowd before they looked to a blue Pin, then finally to Aang. "I always look pretty."_

_Aang looked back to Pin. "I agree. Doesn't Toph always look pretty?"_

_Pin struggled for a bit. "N-no?"_

_"Are you asking me?"_

_"No, sir!"_

_"Oh! So, now she's_ ugly _?! Now, she's_ not _good enough to be aesthetically pleasing for your eyes?! Is she not worthy to be your eye candy anymore?!"_

_"Yeesh," Toph groaned with a roll of her eyes. "Are you almost done?"_

_"You hungry?"_

_"Starving."_

_At this declaration, Pin and a couple of others let out a groan while a few snorted and some chuckled._

_Aang watched Pin. He looked thoroughly chastised and even more thoroughly afraid. "Am I done?"_

_Pin nodded vigorously._

_"Answer me, Pin. You have a voice. Am I done?"_

_It took Pin a minute before he was finally able to choke out a strained, "Y-yes."_

_At that, he dropped Pin, picked his backpack up and made his way over to Toph. "Ready?"_

_She punched his arm and ignored his screeched_ 'Toph!' _as they began walking, leaving the crowd behind_. _"How many times do I need to tell you that I don't need your protection?"_

_He shrugged. "I never said that you needed it."_

_With a sigh, she rolled her eyes. "Thanks."_

_He smiled. "You're welcome."_

_Once again, she rolled her eyes because she just knew that he was about to get sappy. So, she punched his arm again, ignoring his groaned, '_ Toph, seriously!'. _"I'm hungry."_

The very first thing that Katara did as soon as she arrived home was run up the stairs to Toph's room only to whip the door wide open. She refused to knock or announce herself. If she was going to catch Toph and Aang in whatever _juvenile_ act that she was _sure_ that bald headed boy came up with, she would catch them before they could get away from each other and begin covering for each other with that ridiculous brain meld thing.

However, Toph's room was empty. Which really was strange because she told Katara that she was home.

"Katara?" Zuko called out from the bottom of the stairs. "Is she there?"

"No," she grumbled. Needless to say, Katara was a bit disappointed. She already had a speech planned out and everything. "The room is empty," she said as she made her way back down the stairs. "There are no traces of her or Aang in there."

Zuko shrugged. "Maybe she's hiding. She likes that game."

She snorted. "Only because she always wins."

"It's because she's so small. Tiny people always win those games."

Katara laughed a bit as she made a move to sit beside him. "You're lucky that neither of them were here to hear you say that." Then, the jingle of keys in the door was heard. Before the door could open, Katara stood and made her way over to open the door herself, only to be faced with Aang and Toph. She looked a bit... Giddy?

Katara crossed her arms. "Where were you, young lady-"

"Aang and I spied on your date," Toph blurted out with a giggle as she moved past Katara to enter the house.

Aang released a heavy sigh as he shut the door. "So much for _that_ mission," he mumbled to himself.

"Told you," Zuko declared.

"We were spying," Toph continued undeterred as her giggles grew. "We were spying so hard. We threw that thing at you. Then, you texted me and I lied to you. I'm such a liar. I'm a dirty liar, Katara."

Impossible as it seemed, the girl's giggles grew. Katara watched her carefully. "Are you-"

"And-and then," Toph giggled out. "Aang and I were-were on our way here, but then we met up with these thugs on the road. They were all, 'You've got a stupid car, you monk.' And Aang was all, 'Vroom, vroom, mothahfu-!"

"What did I tell you about using language like that?!" Katara interrupted.

Toph continued to laugh and giggle despite being admonished. Then, she released a sigh along with a giddy laugh. "It was so hot!"

Zuko's eyebrow jumped. "Hot?" he and Aang asked together. Only, Zuko didn't look as happy as the other young man.

Toph jumped a bit and turned to look at him. "I didn't know that you were here, Grapevine," she giggled out.

"Seriously, that _name_ -"

"Hey!" Toph exclaimed with wide eyes and a growing grin. " _You_ should totally get in a street race with _Katara_ in the car. It's so hot, I swear."

Katara was immediately on Aang. "Did you get her drunk?!"

Aang held his hands up in defense. "I would never do that to her! What makes you think that she's drunk?"

"She's acting..."

"Weird?" Aang supplied.

"Loopy," Katara said, but she didn't sound too sure.

"Totes cray cray," Zuko declared. When everyone looked at him, he shrunk. "Uncle's started hanging out with younger women."

Katara would accept that. "Toph Beifong, you're acting totes cray cray!"

"That's silly," Toph giggled. "You're so silly, Katara." Then, she hugged the older woman before placing a kiss onto her cheek. "I love you _soooooo_ much, silly silly."

Although Katara's face fell, she returned the embrace. "I love you, too."

Toph released the older woman to make her way to Aang, arms wide open as her giggles grew. "And I _love_ you-!"

Katara grabbed her arm and directed the younger woman to the stairs. "Good night, Toph."

Zuko hid his face at the grin Aang _attempted_ to bite back. ' _Attempted'_ because he really was doing a horrible job of it.

"I'm going to sleep," Toph giggled out. "And Grapevine-"

" _Seriously_ -"

"Get in a street race with her in the car." With that final instruction, Toph made her way up the stairs and to her room, giggling all the way.

Zuko looked to Katara. "Since when was Aang hot?"

Katara looked suspicious. "Since he became a street racer."

Aang looked insulted. "I like to think that I've always been hot."

They looked to him.

"Maybe I should go now?" When Katara's jaw locked, he giggled a bit sheepishly. "I'm going to go now." At that, he made his way to the door and left.

There was a pause before Zuko spoke.

"You want to go street racing?"


	15. Chapter 15

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Fifteen

.

"To dream a dream is to awaken your inner self. Your wants, your desires, your passions are given life."

― Unknown

.

Aang had been waking up under the strangest circumstances lately. First, it was the blaring of his phone's alarm sounding off right over his ear. Now, it was quiet laughter which woke him from his slumber - _her_ quiet laughter.

He woke up warm but, of course, he always woke up warm. He also woke up comfortable but, once again, he always did wake up comfortable. However, this time he did wake up very cushioned, and both the warmth and comfortability seemed to be coming from a different source - which was very strange. So, in order to spare himself from thinking too much after having just woken up, he finally opened his eyes and found the source of it all.

Lo and behold, it was Toph.

Actually, it was Toph's chest.

_That_ was why he was so cushioned.

He knew that needed to get off of her, but she was just so comfortable. Actually, the mere fact that she was so comfortable and was cradling his head to her chest was what kept him from leaping off of her. It wasn't as if they'd never talked about how well endowed she was before because they joked about it all the time, but they never talked about him using her as a pillow. In fact, he _knew_ that he wasn't supposed to be using her chest as a pillow, especially when he was growing such strong feelings for her.

Aang was _not_ supposed to be basking in how warm and cushiony his best friend was.

Cautiously (and a bit reluctantly), he raised his head from it's spot in her chest to look up at her. Her eyes were stuck on the television screen. "T.?"

She jumped a bit and met his eyes. "Sorry. Did I wake you?"

Technically, she did. "Kind of..." he trailed off to observe their surroundings. They were currently on the couch of her apartment's living room. "Where's Katara?" he asked as he met her eyes.

"She went out," Toph answered as a sly grin slid onto her face. The television was long forgotten now. "You still think she's going to let sharp things fall into you?"

Considering the position that they were in, he was actually preparing himself for the heart attack that he was sure to incur once the older woman decided to pop out. But, he digressed. "I fell asleep on you?"

With a nod, she slipped a hand under the collar of his shirt and began gently massaging.

A sigh slipped out. That felt really good.

"We were watching a movie," she told him. "Remember?"

Did he remember? He _thought_ that he remembered. Well, he _thought_ that he thought that he remembered. Goodness, he was so confused. Nevertheless, he nodded. "Yeah."

She chuckled. "You're lying."

Right. She could tell when he was lying - she always could. But, how did he end up _asleep_ on _Toph_? Why was she acting so casual? _What_ was _happening_? "I just- I'm kind of confused right now."

There was an amused smile on her face as her hands left their place at his back to take his ears into them. "I can tell."

"Haha," he deadpanned. "Very funny- _holy_." Her fingers working and stroking at his earlobes were _incredibly_ distracting. When she reached a spot on his lobe, he shut his eyes with a hiss and rested his forehead on her chest. "That feels good," he managed to murmur into the fabric of her shirt after a moment.

She made a sound of consent as she continued massaging. "I know," she said before she placed a kiss onto the top of his head.

He managed to ignore that and settled for nodding into her chest with a quiet moan, burrowing his face deeper into her. "How did you know about that? Only-only Koko knows about my ears."

A snort. "Forget _her_. I'm supposed to know about your sensitive spots. _I'm_ your girlfriend."

Record scratch.

His neck snapped up to meet her eyes, his own wide and confused. "You're my _girlfriend_?"

Her brows furrowed and her massaging stopped, much to his dismay. "Are you okay? And don't lie because I can tell." Bending her neck down, she ducked her head to rest her forehead onto his. "You don't have a fever."

No, he didn't have a fever, but he was overcome by the pale jade of her eyes. All of a sudden, his entire world had become encompassed and engulfed by _her_. Obviously, he didn't mind _that_ , at all. "No, I don't have a fever," he said with a shake of his head, their foreheads brushing and noses nudging. "I'm just- I'm just so confused, Toph."

A corner of her mouth turned up. "Once again, I can tell." At that, she resumed massaging his earlobes, drawing out a sigh from him. "What are you so confused about?"

" _You_ being my girlfriend."

"Why is that confusing?"

Aang woke up with his face buried in Toph's chest, she was currently giving him an ear massage, and she just informed him that _she was his girlfriend._ "How did I get so lucky?"

Now, there was a full smile on her face that made his stomach flip. "You're such a sap," she said before she began placing soft, little kisses all over his face.

_Hell_.

As if her fingers massaging his ears wasn't already distracting enough. Another quiet moan escaped him and his eyes clamped shut because her lips were just so damned soft. Those lips paired with those fingers were skyrocketing him straight into heaven.

"Are you still confused?" she asked, her lips brushing the skin of his chin before they traveled along the lining of his jaw.

A hiss slipped out that grew into a soft groan. "One thing I'm definitely not confused about is me not wanting you to stop."

She laughed a laugh that made his own lips curve up. She placed a kiss onto his forehead, then onto his nose before placing her forehead onto his and bumping his nose with her own. "Tell me," she spoke, her lips brushing his and prompting him to open his eyes. "Are you still confused?" she repeated.

Once again, his world was full of her. His world _was_ her. In those pale jade eyes, he could see emotions swirling inside of them that he had never seen there before - never for him and never from her. It felt good to see that in her eyes. Really good. "You're _my_ girlfriend?"

She nodded against his forehead. "And you're _my_ boyfriend."

He returned the nod. "Right," he responded quietly because he still wasn't sure. However, their lips brushing as they spoke made him absolutely positive that he wanted to fulfill his desire - correction - _need_ to kiss her senseless.

She smiled as if she could sense both the uncertainty and the need. Quite frankly, Aang wouldn't have been surprised if she could sense it. For some reason, he would have been even more surprised if she couldn't.

Both legs wound themselves around him, drawing him in closer as her fingers continued at his ears. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course." His answer was immediate. He didn't have to think twice about that.

Her smile softened. "I'll take care of you," she spoke gently to him, the strokes on his ears growing just as tender. "Okay, baby?"

_Baby?_ He liked the sound of _that_. So, he nodded against her forehead with a weak moan. "Okay."

With a growing smile, she leaned in.

His eyes fluttered shut and his lips parted.

Right before he shot up in his bed with a shout.

A bit frantically and breathlessly, he looked around his bedroom. He didn't know what he was searching for. Perhaps, he was looking for Toph, but she obviously wasn't there. It would have made more sense if he was searching for his sanity, for goodness' sake. Actually, he _should_ have been up looking for his sanity. What kind of sick dream was that?!

He needed to do something about this.

He needed to talk to somebody.

He needed to talk to Toph- _No!_ He couldn't talk to her. She was his best friend and although she wasn't always good at it, she was his personal therapist, but he couldn't talk to _her_. Not about this. He wouldn't even be able to look her in the eyes after _that_.

He needed to relax.

Aang _needed_ to breathe.

He needed... He needed...

Appa padded his way into the room before stopping to greet his owner with a bark.

"Gah!"

Appa jumped with another bark.

Aang placed a hand over his frantically beating heart. He was losing it. "Appa, you scared me!"

Appa responded with an offended and whining bark that seemed to say, " _I_ scared _you?"_ Then, the great dog made his way onto the bed, nudging Aang's chin with his nose. Another bark. "Are you all right?" he seemed to be saying.

Was he all right? He'd just woken up from a dream in which he had been using Toph as a pillow. A _really_ cushiony pillow. A really cushiony pillow who gave him ear massages and planted soft, little kisses all over his face before telling him that she was his girlfriend. The girlfriend who was about to kiss him. With those _lips_. And who knew what else would have happened had he stayed asleep?

Aang's breathing doubled.

At that moment, it became perfectly clear exactly what it was that he needed.

"I need a shower." A _cold_ one. At that, he made his way out of his room, leaving Appa to relax on his bed.

Zuko was a man of honor. When he said that he would do something, he would do it. When he said that he wouldn't do something, he wouldn't. This philosophy was applied to every, single aspect of his life and it had taken him far. He believed in equal opportunities, treating others fairly, and all that jazz. In fact, the golden rule was his life's motto.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," his mother taught him.

The golden rule played an integral part in karma, he observed while growing up. Now, Zuko was only human, but he did believe that it was his job to aid the universe in speeding up the karmic cycle (not that the universe needed any help). He was simply _volunteering_ his efforts for a cause - a greater good, if you will.

The karma that needed help in speeding up? Toph and Aang getting what they deserved for sabotaging his and Katara's date.

Once again, the universe didn't need any help in this department. Some might say that messing with those two would actually be bad for his own karma, but the way that he saw it, he would actually be triply blessed for helping the universe out. Who normally took the time out of their day to help the universe? Not many people. That alone should garner double the blessings.

Azula thought that it was stupid.

"Zuko," Azula deadpanned. "This is _stupid_."

He wasn't insulted. It wasn't the first time that she thought one of his ideas was stupid. "Those little brats are going to get what they deserve and you're going to help me."

Suki shook her head with an exasperated sigh as she reclined onto the desk. The things she went through with these people she called ' _friends_ '. "We said that we would help you get them together. Not get revenge on them."

"Helping the universe," he corrected.

"You can't help the universe!" Azula spat out. What was _wrong_ with him?! "The universe is the _universe_! It got along just fine _without_ you and it will continue to do so!"

As if she hadn't said anything, he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Who said that this wasn't going to help in getting those two together? Besides," he said with a raised brow. "You promised to help me."

"Not with _this_ ," Suki repeated as she jabbed a finger in his direction. "I'm beginning to think that you've forgotten just who it is that we're dealing with. Have you forgotten who Toph and Aang are?"

Azula snorted. "Forget who they are. Have you forgotten who they are together?"

As _if_ he could. This was why he was there in the first place. "They're _Taang!_ " Zuko exclaimed incredulously. "They're _Taang_ together! As in the _Taang_ of the tropical orange juice _Tang!_ The _Taang_ of _Operation: Taang!_ " Then, he stood, determination ablaze in his eyes. "Those two think that they can plan to get me and Katara together, only to sabotage our date, then go back to getting us together like it's a joke? Those two think that they can play mind games with me like that?!"

" _Technically_ -"

"Well, they're wrong!" he interrupted. "I'm going to complete _Operation: Taang_ if it's the last thing I do! But first, _we_ are getting revenge on them! And you two," he emphasized with a shaking finger. "Are _going_ to help me!" With that, he stomped out of the office and slammed the door shut behind him.

The room was quiet before Suki looked to Azula. She sighed. "I'll call Mai."

_As Toph's best friend in the entire universe, thirteen year old Aang knew that it was his job to teach her certain things. One of those certain things being how to use the bus, which she didn't agree with one bit and wasn't afraid to be vocal about. And, boy, was she vocal._

_The bus made a sharp turn and Toph almost fell out of her seat. This didn't sit well with her, at all. With a huff, she crossed her arms as she rearranged herself. "Why do I need to learn how to use the stupid bus, anyway?"_

_"Because bikes are too slow and you won't always have cars to take you places," he answered._

_"Says you," she spat out. "I'm a Beifong. I'll always have a method of transportation available for myself."_

_Obviously, she didn't notice the sidelong glances she received. That, or she just didn't care. He was betting on the latter excuse._

_"It's good for you," he began. "You're thirteen. If there's ever a time to learn, it's now. Look at me, I've known how to use the bus since I was ten."_

_"It's not my fault that you grew up as a commoner."_

_This girl's mouth was going to get him in so much trouble, but they both knew that he would always step in for her, which was probably why she was speaking so boldly. That, and she was nervous. She didn't say, not that she ever would, but it wasn't like he couldn't tell. They were best friends and they could always tell when the other was feeling some type of way._

_When a passenger shot Toph a look, Aang placed an arm around her shoulder. "I keep telling you to stop calling people that."_

_"I keep telling you to stop telling me what to do."_

_"That mouth needs to stop."_

_"Why?" she asked sweetly. "Am I offending you and the other commoners- Mmph!" His hand was immediately over her mouth, muffling her complaints._

_Aang could see the corner of the bus driver's mouth curve upwards as he shook his head. The boy shook his own head once Toph quieted down and he looked to her. Toph's mouth paired with anxiety never worked well together. However, no matter how nervous she was, he was_ not _about to let her get him beat up. "Are you okay, now?"_

_With a roll of her eyes, she nodded._

_"Are you going to stop?"_

_Once again, she nodded._

_She didn't look appeased, at all. Honestly, he was just lucky that she hadn't bitten him by now. The nervousness was still etched into the knitted brows and steel of her eyes. He didn't want to see his best friend like this. He sighed. "T., I'm not doing this for no reason. You're my best friend. We're supposed to take care of each other, right?"_

_Her brows relaxed a bit. Hesitantly, she nodded._

_"Taking care of you means teaching you how to take the bus," he said with a nod of his own. "You can't be reliant on your name for too long. You need to learn to take care of yourself."_

_She seemed to be debating his words before sighing through her nostrils with a nod. Finally, he removed his hand from over her mouth and placed it back onto her shoulder. "I don't need you to take care of me."_

_"I know you don't." When she smiled a bit, he felt the weight of the world being lifted from his shoulders. He hated to see his best friend anxious and nervous, but the feeling he got when she was happy greatly surpassed that. "Now, what's this bus' number?"_

_"The 25."_

_"Where did we take it?"_

_"On Market Street."_

_"Where are we going?"_

_"Downtown."_

_Wow, she was actually listening through all of that complaining and smart mouthing. "Now," he began as he pointed out of the window. "See that store?"_

_She nodded._

_"Press the button when we reach it."_

_Her brows furrowed. This time, in confusion. "Why? We're going downtown."_

_"Always press the button before the stop you want to make," he answered._

_She didn't look fully convinced. Nevertheless, she turned to pressed the button, blinking a bit when the entire bus sounded with a deep beep. "Now, we wait?"_

_He nodded with a bit of a growing smile. "Now, we wait."_

_A short moment passed before the bus came to a halt and Aang stood, Toph following after him. "Hm," she hummed. "I guess you commoners are pretty smart, after all."_

_"Toph!" Before he could say anything else, she slipped from under his arm and hopped off of the bus with an impish smile._

_The bus driver chuckled. "That one sure is a handful."_

_As if_ he _was the one who needed to be told. With a sigh, he shook his head. "I can handle her." At that, he followed after Toph, the bus driver's light chuckles floating behind him._

Just because Toph was a Beifong and intended to inherit all of her parents money didn't mean that she was lazy. Actually, she was far from it. She never allowed the fact that she had money deter her from going out and making her own.

Well, she _used_ to.

But, _that_ was besides the point.

Toph grew up with money and she loved it. However, she loved the money even more when she earned it herself, but she would never work at a tea shop like Aang or train to become a nurse like Katara. How disgusting and bothersome would that be to have to serve people all day? That obviously wasn't her thing. Plus, she simply preferred to have a more flexible schedule, especially since she was still in school. Which was why she took up babysitting.

In fact, at the moment, she was currently babysitting a little boy named Tom Tom. He was the younger brother of Mai, Zuko's ex-girlfriend. Toph had a feeling that she wasn't supposed to be babysitting the younger brother of the ex-girlfriend who broke the heart of her roommate's intended. It wasn't as if this was the first time that Toph had babysat Tom Tom. Besides, _Mai_ was the one who called _her._ Who was Toph to turn down money?

Speaking of money, where was the little brat, anyway?

"Toooooophy," his voice called out from below in a song.

Ah, there he was. Toph looked down to see him with his arms and legs wrapped around her own leg. He never let her stray too far when she babysat. Katara speculated that it was because he had a bit of a crush on her. Toph thought that it was due to his attachment issues since his parents never stayed in the house for too long. She knew how _that_ felt. Perhaps this was why she liked him so much.

"Tiiiiiiiimmy," she sang back.

His brows knitted and his eyes squinted dangerously tight. "Hey, dat's not my name!" he screeched in his distinct lisp.

"You didn't call me by name, either." She reached down to gently pry an eye open with her index finger and thumb. "Careful. If you squint too hard, your eyeballs might pop out!"

That did its job. A squeal of a giggle escaped him as he hugged Toph's leg closer and rubbed his nose into the fabric of her jeans. "Dat's not true!"

Toph couldn't suppress the smile that grew onto her face as she watched him. She had to admit that he was cute. He kind of reminded her of how Aang was when he was younger (minus the whole hating each other thing). This was definitely another reason she liked the kid so much. "Would you like to experiment and see if it's true?"

He looked up at her, a brow raised and mouth agape. "Exper-experi _what_?"

"Experiment," she said for him with a smile. "A scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact."

Tom Tom's round and cherubic face scrunched up. _"Huh?!"_

Oh, right. He was four. "A test. You take tests, right?"

_"Oh!"_ he laughed out. "Why didn't you just say dat? I don't wanna _test_ to thee if my eyes fall out! I wanna play a game insthead!"

"Hide and seek," they said together. She asked. He exclaimed joyfully with that precious lisp.

"If you want to play hide and seek," she began as she tapped the top of his head. "You need to let go of my leg."

"Aw," he drawled out with a frown as he hugged her leg tighter. "Just clothe your eyes and pretend like you don't thee me."

"But, I'll still _feel_ you, Tito."

"Dat's not my name!"

She laughed at his ever reddening face. He was definitely her favorite kid to babysit. "If you let go of my leg, I'll let you hold on until your sister comes back home."

A gasp escaped him and his eyes grew wide. "Promith?!"

Goodness, he was so adorable. She nodded. "Promise."

He seemed to be debating his decision before finally, and with a sigh, he released her leg. Then, he stood, back erect. "You have to count all da way to gazillion!" Before she could even tell him that that wasn't a real number (for the _billionth_ time!), he ran off, those short and stubby legs carrying him away as fast as they could.

Working with children was never Zuko's forte. They liked calling him pretty and tugging at his hair. Luckily for him, Tom Tom never paid much attention to him and was always at the side of Mai or Toph when his sister wasn't around. Zuko was also lucky that Mai already explained the plan to her brother. Tom Tom was a smart kid. After all, he was Mai's younger brother and his parents had already hired personal tutors for him. The only hitch in the plan that Zuko would have to worry about was Toph finding out that he was behind it all, which wouldn't be a problem.

"Zuko?" Tom Tom called out from his seat in the back of the car.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure dat dis will make Tophy and Baldy fall in love?"

Zuko shrugged. "We're hoping."

Tom Tom crossed his arms with a huff. "I don't want dem to fall in love!"

The car almost halted with a screech. _Children_. " _Excuse me_? Why do you think you're here?!"

"If dey fall in love," Tom Tom continued undeterred. "Den dey'll get married and have kids! And if dey have kids, den Tophy will forget all about me!"

Zuko did _not_ just get involved with a kid who had a crush on Toph. He needed to do some damage control. "That's not true. They won't have kids." Not yet, at least. "We just want them to... Kiss." He could talk about kissing with four year olds, right? He could just imagine Katara covering the little boy's ears with a disapproving shake of her head.

Tom Tom looked unconvinced, a pout gracing his lips. "You promith?"

"Promise," Zuko said with a nod. When Tom Tom smiled a bit, he couldn't deny that the kid was pretty cute. That must have been why Toph had such a soft spot for him, which meant that she was going to go _ballistic_ when she found him gone. And that Aang was _going_ to come after him _if_ he found out that this was all his doing. If. "Toph lets you call her 'Tophy'?"

"Uh-huh!" he said with an excited nod. "I get to call her Tophy and she never calls me Tom Tom! But, she calls me Toto, Timmy, Tito, Tequito, Taco, Tornado, Tallahassee, Thomas, Thornberry..."


	16. Chapter 16

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Sixteen

.

"Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun."

― Mignon McLaughlin

.

The last time that Aang saw Toph, he was using her as a pillow. A really cushiony pillow. Granted, it was just a dream - a very clear and vivid (and cushiony) dream, but a dream, nonetheless. However, the last time that he was actually physically near Toph, she was all giggly because he got into a street race. He'd only seen her like that once before and he definitely didn't think that he would be the one to make that happen again. Being the one to get her so loopy and breathless from all of those giggles definitely felt good. Despite this, it didn't mean that he was in any position to see her just yet.

But, fate was a funny little bugger.

"You _lost_ Tom Tom-?"

Immediately, she leaned over the counter and her hands were over his mouth in an attempt to silence him. "I didn't lose him!" she whispered harshly as she looked around. She didn't notice him gulp. "Don't talk so loud. Some of my clients come to this dump of a tea shop."

As if he could hear her, even in the midst of his harem of old lady friends at a table in the far end of the shop, Iroh paused in his storytelling to bellow an offended, "I'm your best friend's boss! You watch your mouth!"

Normally, Toph would have yelled right back at the old man, consequences be damned. Instead, she looked nervous and anxious - entirely too nervous and anxious for Aang's liking, which really wasn't saying much, at all. He couldn't stand to see even a hint of those emotions on his best friend's face, especially when they were so rarely ever there. So when she met his eyes, he set his childish pride aside and pealed her hands from over his mouth to set them onto the counter. His best friend was more important than some stupid dream.

He glanced around before leaning in to hear her speak. "What happened?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"We were playing hide and seek," she blurted out in her whisper before she began to frantically ramble. "That's his favorite game. We play it all the time and it gets annoying, and I even try to suggest new games sometimes, but _that's his favorite game_ , and I can't deny or resist that stupid lisp, and those puffy cheeks, and that adorable gap in between his teeth!" She released a sigh before _tutting_ and shaking her head. "I hope he never gets braces."

Honestly, hearing Toph blabber on about the child was pretty cute. He was tempted to tell her that she sounded a bit like Katara, but they had a child to find. "You were playing hide and seek, and then?"

"We were playing hide and seek," she resumed with a nod and her whisper. "And I was counting. You know, '1, 2, 3, 4, 5-'"

"6, 7, 8, 9, 10," he finished for her.

"I finish counting and I go to look for him," she continued. "The house is huge, so it takes a while, like always."

"So, how do you know that you lost him-"

Once again, her hands were over his mouth. "I did _not_ lose him."

Right. He bit her palm and she pulled away with a huff. "How do you know that Tom-"

As she massaged her hand, she gave him a look.

"That _he_ is still playing hide and seek?"

That seemed to hit a nerve. "Because I'm a cheater!" she declared as she slammed both fists onto the counter, breaking out of her whisper and drawing attention to the both of them. "I'm a dirty cheater, Aang!"

Aang managed to ignore the stares and the murmurs to focus on her. Toph wasn't normally this frantic. Actually, she was never frantic. She made it a point not to let silly emotions like this bother her. To make matters worse, she hadn't even sat down. "T., calm down-"

"Whenever he hides out for too long, I get worried!" she continued undeterred. "So, I start calling out for him-!"

All right, she was his best friend, but she was also drawing way too much attention to them. "Toph," he began in a whisper. "Seriously, breathe and take a seat-"

"But, I never call him by his first name!" she said in a whisper that matched his, successfully drawing attention away from them both. Well, as much attention as they both could avoid with her whispering like that. At least he _got_ her to whisper. "It's always Tito, or Tommy, or Toto!"

"Why _do_ you do that?"

"Because he _hates_ it and he gets mad!" she screeched, breaking out of her whisper and eliciting wondering eyes, once again.

Aang resisted the urge to just throw her over his shoulder take her outside so that she could talk as loudly as she wanted to. He would have done it if he wasn't at work. "Okay," he whispered with an empathetic nod in an attempt to calm her. "He gets mad."

"He gets so mad, Aang," she whispered with a bit of a pitiful shake of her head. "His face scrunches up and turns all red when he's mad!"

"But, this time-"

"This time, he stayed quiet!" she managed to screech in her whisper.

Aang's heart stopped. Not only because they'd really just lost a four year old while playing hide and seek, but because he knew how important Tom Tom was to Toph and how close they were. And mostly because she looked completely out of her wits with her wide eyes and quiet, shallow breathing.

At that moment, a customer approached the counter. "Just give me a minute," Aang told her with a nod. "Okay?" When she returned the nod, he felt himself relax a bit and turned to take the money that the customer handed to him in order to put it into the register. Once the transaction was complete and the customer walked away, he noticed the drink that was left on the counter.

"Excuse me, sir," he called out. "You left your drink."

"No, I didn't," he replied with a shake of his head. "I bought it for her. She looks like she needs it."

Toph's jaw dropped.

"Don't worry," he said with a smile, attempting to smooth over the fact that a stranger had bought a drink for her. "It's vanilla." At that, he left.

Toph smacked her hands over her face and plopped herself into a stool.

With a chuckle, Aang took the drink and popped the lid. "Iroh always says that after a smile and a hug, tea is the most efficient relaxer there is."

"Iroh's also an old coot who doubles as a gossip queen," was her muffled reply.

She was lucky that Iroh hadn't heard that one. He took a sip from the cup. "It's good."

"It's _vanilla_."

 _Geez._ He took one of her hands from over her face to place the cup into it.

She watched him a bit suspiciously for a moment before turning her gaze onto the cup. Finally, she took a sip. She looked pleasantly surprised. "It's good."

"It's _vanilla_." There was a smile playing at the corners of her mouth and for that, he was glad. When she took another sip of her drink, he couldn't help but to think that the drink had come at the most opportune time. Now, he could interrogate her and be spared the risk of her freaking out. "Did you look everywhere?"

"I looked everywhere," she answered as she passed the cup to him. "I searched that entire house three times. I swear I did."

He returned the nod before taking a sip. "I believe you." He licked his lips and passed the cup over to her. "But, where do you think he could have gone?"

With a pursing of her lips, she released the cup to dig into her pockets. Soon enough, she took out a folded piece of paper before unfolding it on top of the counter in front of him.

 _Don't worry. He's in safe hands and in his favorite place_.

The message written on the raggedy paper was spelled out with letters and words cut from newspapers and magazines. A ransom note. Tom Tom was _kidnapped_? "You didn't lose him."

"How many times did I tell you that, you idiot-"

"Don't call me an idiot when you came to me for help, you annoying ingrate-"

"I'm not an ingrate, you bald headed-"

"I'd rather be bald headed than to have that rats nest of a bun you call hair sitting on top of my-"

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she covered her eyes. "Didn't I tell you not to stand at a certain position during the day? The light reflecting off of your head is blinding me!"

_"Toph!"_

Drink your _vanilla_ tea _, Aang!"_

He resisted the urge to spit out another insult to pick the paper up instead. "They didn't ask for any money."

She shook her head. "Which is strange because he comes from a wealthy family."

"They also said that he was at his favorite place. Where's that?"

"He's four. Every place is his favorite place."

"But, they did say that he was safe. That's good, right?"

"He's not with me, is he?" Then, she released a sigh. "We need to find him. When he was with me, he was barefooted with a t-shirt and shorts. It's starting to get cold."

Aang _hated_ to see her eyebrows knitted like that. "We'll find him."

"Tracey, Thor, Thumbnail, Tutu, Thursday, Thorax..."

Honestly, Zuko was not cut out for working with children. The child had been listing off those ridiculous names for the past hour without even a single pause. Children had a seemingly infinite amount of energy, he knew. He remembered having quite a bit of energy himself and Azula, even more so, but weren't kids supposed to have bad attention spans or something? This kid had an impeccably one tracked mind.

He took the child's hand as they walked down a busy street. After sneaking Tom Tom out of the house and driving off (kidnapping, most people, including the law would call it if he hadn't gotten permission from Mai), he was now making his way to their destination. Mai's job. But, it wasn't like Toph or Aang knew where she worked. Which was why the plan was going to work perfectly. That is, unless they found out that he was behind it all. He didn't want both Toph _and_ Aang coming after him for this.

He shuddered.

"Tinkerbell, Tennessee, Turquoise, Threshold-"

That one caught his attention _. "Threshold?_ She calls you _threshold_ and you _let_ her?"

Tom Tom nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh!" Then, he grinned. "And she lets me call her Tophy!"

The poor four year old was so far gone and he didn't even know it. "So you've said before." He shook Tom Tom's hand a bit. "You really like Toph, huh?"

" _Duh,"_ he dragged out with a roll of his eyes. "She'sth my friend. My parentsth don't talk to me or listhen to me or play with me like her. Mai-Mai playsth with me sthometimesth, but she's alwaysth busy. I like Tophy!" he declared with an excited grin.

Holy _hell_ was Zuko going to be in trouble if this didn't work out. He looked over Tom Tom's jacket and his pair of jeans. If he got caught, at least he could tell Toph that he took the kid's health into consideration. "You won't tell Toph that I'm behind all this, will you?"

Tom Tom shrugged. "Only if I can call you Sparkles. Tophy calls you dat, right?"

"It's _Grapevine_!" Oh, hell no, he did _not_ just defend _that_ nickname. Somehow, he knew that if Toph wasn't preoccupied with finding Tom Tom, her Zuko senses would have tingled and she would have bursted into laughter. He sighed. "You can call me whatever you want as long as you don't tell her."

Tom Tom's eyes lit up. "Oh!" he exclaimed, his grin widening and cheeks growing even redder. "Does dis mean dat I can call you Princess? You're pretty!"

Zuko was _not_ cut out to work with children.

 _Aang was Toph's best friend. He had been her best friend since she was three and he was four years old. Admittedly, although they_ constantly _fought and argued, he did make things better - not that she would ever admit that to_ him _. Now that they were both fifteen years old, he had become her closest confidante and makeshift therapist. She and Aang had gone through everything together, made it through it all together, and were there for each other through it all._

_So, it made absolutely no sense how he was ruining everything. "Everything" being every single one of her potential dating prospects._

_All right, Toph had to admit that it wasn't his fault. It wasn't like she couldn't take some of the blame, either. After all, they did add fuel to the flames with their close friendship, but why was it that when two people of opposite genders said that they were best friends, people automatically viewed it as a coverup for a hidden relationship? As if Toph would ever be so ashamed of anything that she stooped so low to create a completely intricate story in order to cover up the truth._

_However, although Toph took partial responsibility for this,_ most _of it was Aang's fault! All he_ did _was chase all of the boys away - the cuties, the uglies, the smarties, and the dummies. Every. Single. One. Whenever he saw them coming to talk to her, he'd put an arm around her or just settle for crossing his arms and giving them a steely glare. Other times when she wasn't around, he would blatantly threaten and interrogate them on their intentions with her. As if_ she _couldn't protect herself._

_What an insult!_

_It was like a predator stealthily encroaching upon its prey the way she snuck up on him before grabbing him in the middle of the hallway and slamming him back, effectively shutting his locker. He didn't look too happy about that. Not that she cared. This had gone on for long enough._

_"Toph!" he practically screeched. He couldn't really screech anymore without his voice cracking. "What's your problem?!"_

_By now, they'd drawn a bit of attention and a small crowd around themselves. Once again, she did not care. "You're ruining everything."_

_The look on his face could only be described as incredulous. "_ Me?" _he spat out. "You could have at least let me finish taking what I needed out of my locker before_ manhandling _me!"_

 _Toph. Did. Not. Care. She took a step forward and into his space, the primal part of her purring when he stood his ground. "I keep telling you that I can handle myself. I keep telling you to back off and stop protecting me, but you can't get that through that shiny, bald head of yours. You shouldn't have such a hard time listening with those_ ears _of yours-"_

"Toph-!"

_"Now, look what you did! Half of the guys here refuse to ask me out because they think that we're together. The other half refuses because they're afraid that you'll kill them. A small percentage of people actually look forward to your little shenanigans because they have no cable or internet connection at home!"_

_He crossed his arms with a shrug. "I'm not sorry about that. Just turn ugly again and I'll consider leaving them alone."_

_"What do you mean you'll '_ consider _'?" Then, her jaw dropped. "Hey, I was_ never _ugly!"_

_He grinned. "I think that we make quite a lovely couple," he continued undeterred. "I mean, we've already talked about our marriage, all of the kids you're going to give me- Mmph!"_

_Who didn't talk about marriage and kids with their best friend? The way that Toph saw it, if she wasn't going to marry anyone else, it was going to be him and he agreed. She didn't mind talking about it with others; his father knew and their close friends did as well, but she didn't want to talk about it if he was going to be using it as a leverage to keep boys away from her. However, if he kept acting up, she wasn't so sure that he would even be able to have any children any time in the future, whether she was his wife or not._

_Toph resisted the urge to rip his mouth right off of his face. It wasn't like she couldn't since she already had both hands over those stupid lips. But, it wasn't like the lack of lips was going to stop him from speaking, either. She knew what he was doing. Talking big like that in front of the crowd that they drew was going to spread the word that they really were together - which they were not - and effectively keep guys away from her for good._

_"Listen to me," she spoke, enunciating and pronouncing the words loudly and clearly enough for him and the crowd to hear. "We are not together. We never were."_

_A hushed_ 'ooh' _sounded throughout the crowd in sympathy for Aang._

_Oh, please._

_When she removed her hands from over his mouth, he blinked. "Are you breaking up with me, Toph?"_

_A couple of girls tutted with a '_ Poor Aang'. _Toph resisted the urge to walk up to every single one of them and shake sense into them. "How can we be breaking up if we were never together?!"_

_"Oh, so all of the good times that we had together meant nothing to you, Toph?!"_

_"There was never anything there, Aang!"_

_A boy hissed. "Harsh!"_

_Honestly, didn't these people know how to mind their own business?! Frankly, Toph didn't care if she became known as the school's resident ice queen. Although, that nickname may or may not scare the boys away even further, she didn't care as long as she got him off of her back. She had to win this. However, when she saw a quick twinkling of mirth in Aang's eyes, she got it._

_"I completely understand your need for freedom,_ Toph!"

 _"I also understand yours! Sorry for being a jerk,_ Aang!"

_A couple of students raised their brows._

_"Even though we're breaking up, you're still my best friend!"_

_"You're still my best friend even though you_ cannot _get it through that thick skull of yours that we were never together!"_

_"Are you still coming over for dinner?!"_

_"Is your dad still cooking my favorite?!"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Fine! I guess, I'll be coming over for dinner!"_

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" _a few students yelled before someone spoke. "You're broken up, but you're still best friends. Fresh meat on the market. Yadda yadda." At that, the crowd dispersed._

_Aang chuckled a bit and he went back to working on his locker. "Thank goodness this was during our lunch break. We would have totally been late for class."_

_There was no answer._

_"Right, T?" Once again, it was silent. He looked beside him to find her gone. Where had she gone? Finally, he looked around him, only to find her speaking with someone. A_ boy _. An_ older boy

 _What the_ hell _was_ that _and why was Toph talking to that_ thing _filled with testosterone-_

_"Hi," a light voice greeted him._

_Aang knew that both he and that boy were lucky. He looked to regard the person speaking. It was a girl. A cute one. He didn't know her, though. Not that this would be a problem for much longer. "Hey."_

_She frowned a bit. "I saw your breakup. Sorry that it happened that way."_

_In the back of his head, he knew that at the moment, he was supposed to be terrorizing some boy for speaking to his best friend. Even further at the back of his head, he also knew that with that faux breakup, he'd agreed to keep his distance and cease his overprotective tendencies. But, all of these facts that he knew were clouded by this cute girl. Who was she?_

_"It's no problem," he said with a smile. "It wasn't like it was real..."_

_The girl blinked._

Ly _. Really bad," he fixed. "It wasn't like it was_ really _bad. She's still my best friend, y'know? That won't change because of some pesky breakup."_

_The girl nodded with a short laugh. "Well, I just thought that I should offer my condolences." She offered him her hand. "I'm Koko."_

_Koko. That was a pretty weird name and sounded like it should have been a nickname instead. Perhaps it was. But, he would only know it if got to know her better._

_Behind Koko, Toph and that_ boy _began walking off. Honestly, that_ boy _shouldn't have even gotten that far. That_ thing _wouldn't have gotten that far if it wasn't for Koko._

 _He met Koko's eyes and decided that just this once, Toph could protect herself. Just this one time. So, with one final glance at Toph and that_ boy _, he took Koko's hand. "I'm Aang. Would you like to have lunch with me?"_

_This time, they both won._

"Why couldn't we take your car again?"

"Because I'm not driving in this traffic. Taking the subway is quicker if we're trying to get into the city."

"Oh, my- Do you _not_ want to find this child?!"

"Of course, I do! That's why we're taking the subway!"

"If we took the car, we could survey the streets!"

"If we take this thing and walk, we can survey the streets more closely and thoroughly!"

With a roll of her eyes and a scoff, she crossed her arms and reclined into her seat, ignoring the stares that she received. He was right, but that didn't mean that she was going to let him know it. It wasn't like she wanted to come to him in the first place, but who else could she have gone to? He was her best friend and her partner in crime, but that didn't mean that she was looking forward to asking him for help.

The last time that she saw him, she ruined their mission because she was caught off-guard and grew all giggly because he got into a street race. How embarrassing was that? But, it wasn't her fault that she was caught off-guard by Aang's hotness. After all, since when had _he_ been _hot_? At least he hadn't brought it up. Honestly speaking, it probably was better that they took the subway. That way, she wouldn't have to be reminded of his driving skills, his hands clutching at the steering wheel, his strong jaw locking, him being _so_ _hot_ -

Best friend. This was her best friend. "When's the next game?

Sitting across from her, he looked a bit surprised. "Oh, this week." Then, he grinned that boyish grin. "You're not going to forget again, are you?"

Goodness, he was so _hot_ \- Stop it, Toph! Best friend! "Of course not. You're going to keep up the safety streak, right?"

He snorted. "What safety streak?"

"The exact _opposite_ of the injury streak that you've been on every season since you started playing."

"I don't _always_ get hurt."

She raised a brow. Not because she was checking him out, but because he really did always get hurt. It was quite worrying simply because he never took injuries seriously. He was Peter Pan. He could get away with that. Said _him_ , anyway. It was strange that _she_ was the one looking out for _him_ and making sure that he wasn't getting hurt - in _basketball_ , no less.

"I don't!"

Okay, this time she raised both brows because she _was_ checking him out.

"I don't?"

Oh, that look of confusion on his face was absolutely adorable-

"No," he declared as he finally made his decision. "I _definitely_ do not get hurt."

"But, you do!" she exclaimed in an attempt to distract herself from those silly thoughts. "You're always getting hurt in a game!"

"I didn't get hurt last time!"

"I forgot to congratulate you on that, by the way-"

"Seriously, T-"

"Honestly, the whole thing was quite impressive."

"How so?"

"I was on the edge of my seat expecting you to break _something_ -"

_"Toph-"_

"But, you didn't even sprain an _ankle_ -"

_"Toph-!"_

"You're _incredibly_ clumsy for a basketball player-"

"I'll keep up the safety streak, okay?"

She smiled at that before their ride came to a slow halt. They stood, following the flow of the crowd that exited the subway and made way for those who were rushing in.

 _Finally_. Now they could start searching for the kid.

"Excuse me," a woman said as she approached them with a kind smile.

Or not.

"Pardon me if this is rude-"

"We're busy-"

_"Toph."_

The woman's smile grew. "I just wanted to tell you that you two make quite a lovely couple. Why, you remind me of my dear Henry and me. All of the arguing and fussing about, I mean."

Toph snorted. It wasn't the first time that they were confused for a couple. As if she needed some old woman to be telling her what a cute couple she would make with her best friend. The best friend who she was growing feelings for. "Yeah, thanks-"

Aang placed an arm around her shoulders, effectively keeping her from walking off. "Thank you. We do make a pretty good looking couple. Don't you think, T?"

Another snort escaped her throat. She needed to get away from these two. Maybe that old woman could keep him if her _dear_ _Henry_ wouldn't mind sharing. Or maybe she had a granddaughter or a friend who had a single daughter or granddaughter. Any solution that would save her friendship with him from dissipating because she was growing feelings for him was welcome. "We would make a cute couple if we were actually together."

Aang blinked. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Toph laughed as she slipped from under his arm to begin her search, leaving Aang behind with the woman. She chuckled. "She's an interesting one."

The messy bun bouncing on the top of her head as she walked made her stand out in the crowd. This was his best friend, but he couldn't help it if his stomach turned of its own accord just then. "Tell me about it."

Zuko had (technically) kidnapped Toph's favorite kid to babysit.

Toph's favorite kid to babysit was Tom Tom.

Tom Tom was Mai's little brother.

Mai was his ex-girlfriend.

 _Mai_ was _Zuko's_ freaking _ex-girlfriend_.

It seemed that in his hurry to exact revenge, Zuko had managed to look over this crucial fact. The crucial fact being that he was currently using his _ex-girlfriend's_ kid brother to get revenge on Toph and Aang. Zuko was man enough to admit that he hadn't thought this whole situation all the way through. Who could blame him?

However, the highlight of this was that Mai wasn't there. Instead of meeting him and Tom Tom, she left a key under the mat in front of the door of her office and instructions for the guards. This way, when Toph and Aang found their way to the building, Zuko would be alerted. Apparently, along with having appointed guards who would be on the look out for Toph and Aang, Mai had also appointed several of her workers around the city to help point them to the right direction. Zuko had to admit that the amount of power Mai held over the people of her company rivaled that of Azula's because it was quite obvious that he wasn't the only one who didn't want to be overwhelmed by intense feelings of awkwardness that would come with their meeting. For this, he was glad.

"Thomas, Torque, Thallus, True, Toys'R'Us..."

Seriously, some of those names should be counted as child abuse. "You _let_ her call you _Toys'R'Us_?"

"Yes!" Tom Tom declared. "And she-"

"Let's you call her ' _Tophy_ '," Zuko completed. "I get it." He'd _been_ getting it since he took the kid from his house.

Tom Tom sighed, his round belly protruding a bit. "Princesth-"

"Oh, my goodness-"

"I'm _bored."_

He was bored? Zuko thought for a bit. What did four year olds like to do when they were bored? He really wasn't good with this stuff. "What do you want to do?"

A smile lit Tom Tom's face up. "Let'sth play a game!"

That definitely sounded doable. "Okay," Zuko agreed with a nod. "What would you like to play?"

"Hide and stheek!" was Tom Tom's immediate answer.

Hold on a second. Zuko had heard about this kid's 'little' hide and seek sessions with Toph and he was _not_ about to get involved with that. The child was a master at this game. His shortest game with Toph lasted for about an hour and _she_ was good at this game. "Wait, there's got to be another game you want to play-"

"No, I'll go hide now!"

"Wait a minute!" Zuko bellowed as he stood, placing his hands at his hips. He was an adult. He had to lay down the law. "I'm an adult and you have to listen to me. Now, I'm telling you that we _cannot_ play hide and seek. Do you understand me?"

Tom Tom crossed his arms, challenging Zuko's authority. "Tophy _alwaysth_ playsth hide and seek with me."

"Well, I'm not _Tophy_."

Tom Tom's lower lip extended in a pout as his brows furrowed, the ultimate look of disappointment. Then, he took in a deep breath before yelling out, "If you don't play with me, I'm gonna tell Tophy what you're doing!"

" _Woah_ , hold on now-!"

"I'm going to hide now!"

"Wait a minute-!"

"Count to gazillion!"

"That's not a number!" Zuko practically screamed, but to no avail as the child ran off. Oh, this was _definitely_ a kid who spent a lot of time with Toph. Too much time, if you asked Zuko. _Way_ too much time.

Oh, well. How long would it take for Zuko to find four year old in an office, anyway?

It had been about an hour and a half since they'd gotten off of the subway. Since then, they had searched about fifteen stores, nine restaurants, three bus stops, and an old man's suitcase because according to Toph it looked "big enough to stow away a child Tom Tom's size." The old man wasn't too happy about this impromptu search and Toph wasn't too happy about Aang carrying her away from the old man.

Along with not having seen Toph intensely giggly in a while, it had also been a long while since Aang had seen her freak out. Like, really freak out. 'Really freak out' as in, frantic behavior. Growing bold enough to perform a search on a frail, old man and his suitcase seemed pretty frantic to Aang. And it worried him.

"Okay," Toph began as she led him down a busy sidewalk, dodging and ducking away from people as she did so. "We searched three blocks worth of stores and restaurants. According to this map-"

Aang started. "When did you get that map-?"

"I stole it from that old guy-"

"Toph, you _didn't_ -"

"I did and I still say that he's suspicious-"

"He could barely stand up straight without shaking! How could he have managed to kidnap a child and bring him all the way over here-?"

"I don't know how, but we're going back to find that old guy," she snarled before stopping in front of a store. "Right after we check this place out."

Oh no, Aang was _not_ about to let her go into that store when she was like this. So, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away before she could get through the doors.

She looked down at his hand on her arm before glaring up at him. "Did I tell you that you could grab my arm?"

Crap. He needed to do some quick damage control before she killed him. And she would, even in the middle of a crowd - they both knew it. "No, you didn't, but-"

"But, nothing-"

"If I let you go, you'll go acting crazy."

" _Excuse_ me?"

"I mean-" Before he could complete his sentence, she managed to get out of his grip with one forceful tug. It was only because of his basketball honed reflexes that he was able to grab ahold of her other arm before she could make her way to the door. Once again, she tugged and pulled him forward and _holy hell,_ he always forgot just how strong she was.

"I swear, I'll chomp your fingers off with my own teeth in front of all of these people if you don't let me go."

Aang did _not_ doubt the verity of that statement. "There's no need to resort to cannibalism when we can just take a breather-"

"Damn it, Aang! Do you think I'm playing games right now?!"

"Of course not-!"

" _Obviously_ not-!"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean-?!"

"It means that you need to let me go so that we can find this kid-!"

"I'll let you go if you promise not to go crazy-!"

"I'm not crazy! We need to find him now! I don't want him to think that I don't care about him like his parents!"

That made him release her arm. Toph had only been babysitting Tom Tom for about a year and a half, a shorter time span than some of her other kids. Granted, she did like him a lot more than some of the other children, but the fact remained that Aang didn't think that her bond with the child ran that deep. So, the most coherent and intelligent answer he could come up with at the moment was a simple: "What?"

She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "His parents are never home, Mai's always working, and he hasn't started school yet because of those tutors. The kid needs somebody."

Oh. Now it made sense. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, not that she would have to admit it to _him_ , Tom Tom was just like her when she was younger - the missing parents and everything. As Toph grew older, her mother did begin to make an effort to be a part of her daughter's life and it did work, but it didn't change the fact that as a child, if it hadn't been for Aang, she would have been alone. "So, he has you?"

She snorted. " _Duh_."

A short laugh escaped, prompting the corners of her mouth curve up. That was good. He hated to see her frown. "If he has you, who did you have?"

"Obviously, I had you. Who did you have?"

"You and my mom. You won't go off and die, will you?"

"What-?! _Aang!_ How morbid can you be?!"

He shrugged. "Just a question." At that, he opened the door of the store for her and followed after her when she walked in. One wouldn't be able to tell from the outside, but the tiny store was actually a boutique housing an assortment of clothes for women, men, and for children.

"He reminds me of you a bit," she threw over her shoulder as she walked. "Tom Tom."

"Really? Is that another reason you're so attached to him?"

A snort. "Of course not. Besides, you're not nearly as cute."

_"Toph!"_

That caught the attention of the man at the front desk. "Hello," he greeted with a smile as the two approached him. "Welcome to my humble boutique. How may I help you today?"

"We lost a kid," Toph told him.

"T., don't just _say_ it like that!"

"Well, we _did."_

If it were anyone else, he would have told them that it wasn't a 'we' situation. However, this was his best friend. Any problem that one of them experienced was automatically turned into a 'we' situation.

A frown marred the boutique owner's face. "Oh, no! What does the child look like? Maybe I've seen him today."

"He's four years old," Toph began. "He's about yea tall and he's kind of chubby..."

As Toph continued her description of Tom Tom, the presence of a young woman stepping into the building caught his eye. A very good looking woman, actually. He looked back to Toph, but she seemed caught up in her describing.

"His face is really round and his cheeks are all red and puffy," she continued a bit fawningly. Beside her, Aang bit back a grin. "He's got a lisp, an adorable gap in between his teeth, and his hair's dark, dark brown..."

The shop owner looked and found the young woman roaming the store.

"Some people would say that it's black, but if you look _really_ closely it's actually a deep and dark shade of brown-"

"There's a building about a block over," he interrupted her a bit distractedly. "It's big, tall, and has an insignia with a blade on the roof. You can't miss it." At that, he made his way over to the young woman.

Aang raised a brow at that. Nevertheless, he needed to show his gratitude. "Thank you-"

Toph grabbed his arm, dragging him behind her as she ran out. "Let's go!"

As the double doors closed behind them, a man stepped out from his spot beside a mannequin. He approached the boutique owner and cleared his throat. "Kuzon."

Kuzon, who was already involved in an in depth conversation with the young woman, glanced at him. "Excuse me," he told her before regarding him. "Don't you see that I'm _busy_?"

The man couldn't look any less impressed if he tried. "Boss told us that once they came here, to point them over to the other store. Not the main building."

"So they'll find the kid earlier," Kuzon scoffed with a shrug. "No biggie, huh?"

The man's face dropped before he left Kuzon with his new friend to stand at the front desk. Like hell, _he_ was going to lose his job for _Kuzon_. He picked the phone up to dial a number. "Yes," he said once someone picked up. "We've come across a bit of a problem."

Contrary to Zuko's assumption, it was taking a very long time to find Tom Tom in Mai's office. He hadn't noticed it before, but the office was actually pretty huge. Well, huge compared to regular office sizes. The huge office was the perfect playground for Tom Tom's game of hide and seek. He began this plan as a way to help out the universe, but it seemed that the universe was helping itself out at the moment by keeping the child hidden from him. Then again, he did formulate a revenge plan under the ruse of helping the universe out. The irony of it all was enough to make him wish that Toph and Aang were already on their way there.

As if on cue, a pair of frantic footsteps were heard before the door to the office opened, revealing two breathless guards. "Sir," one said as they both bowed. "We come bearing grave news."

Wow, how formal were they? However formal they were, this did nothing to excuse the fact that they had bad news for him. From his spot on his hands and knees on the floor and under a table, Zuko nodded. "What is it?"

"Miss Beifong and her friend," the second guard began as he continued to attempt to catch his breath. "They're on their way."

Zuko was on his feet in an instant. "What do you mean Toph and Aang are on their way?"

A clutter sounded behind him before Tom Tom's round and cherubic red face popped up from behind a plant. "Tophy's on her way?!" he practically screeched with a beaming smile.

Zuko turned with a pointed finger in the child's direction. "Ha! I found you!"

"No, you didn't!" he giggled. "I only came out cuz I heard dat Tophy was coming!"

With a huff, Zuko regarded the guards as Tom Tom began skipping around the office with glee, singing a song of Toph's arrival. "Mai said that the people she had placed at each store were supposed to send them on a wild goose chase. Every one involved received a schedule. They're not supposed to be here this early!"

"One of our operatives made an error," the first guard said. "Apparently, he was distracted by a woman."

Zuko shook his head with a scoff. "Of course a _woman_ messed him up."

Of course, this was when Tom Tom decided to halt in his singing in order to skip over to Zuko and kick him in the shin. He ignored his shout. " _Tophy's_ a woman, _Grapevine_! _She_ doesn't mesth people up!"

"It's _Sparky_!" Zuko shook his head as he cradled his knee. Goodness, he needed to stop doing that. Before he could tell Tom Tom to forget about the nickname change, he remember that he was getting lectured by a four year old on sexism. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that the guy was inept and couldn't do his job properly! Not that the woman messed the operation up! The _guy_ did!"

Tom Tom didn't seem to care what the older man had to say and returned to his skipping and singing.

Zuko took great offense to this. His honor was on the line here. "Tom Tom, I'm _not_ a sexist!"

"Whatever, Sparky!"

"It's _Princess_! _Doh!_ I mean-!"

The second guard cleared his throat, reclaiming Zuko's attention. "The operative's name is Kuzon and do not worry. For this, he will be severely punished."

"Yeah, yeah." Quite frankly, Zuko didn't care what they did to Kuzco or whatever his name was. He and Tom Tom needed to go prepare for Toph and Aang's appearance. "Come on, kid."

According to that boutique owner, Tom Tom was supposed to be at the building with the blade-like insignia on the rooftop. Then again, he told them this while he was eyeing some girl who walked into the store. Toph noticed, but it wasn't like she was going to say anything about it when she had more important things to worry about, such as Tom Tom. But, if that man sent her to some dead end just so he could be a creep and she didn't find Tom Tom, she _was_ going back for him.

Beside her, Aang approached the building's front door. They didn't know the purpose of this building, but it was supposed to be housing Tom Tom. "Do you want to ask the front desk or should I?"

Toph blinked and looked off. "What was that?"

Aang looked around. "What was what?"

She began surveying the area, tiptoeing a bit. "You didn't hear that?"

"No," he said. "You're the one with superhuman hearing. Not me."

Normally, Toph would have laughed a bit, but she didn't even scoff. She could have sworn that she heard a voice that sounded just like Tom Tom's. Anyone else would have just suspected that it was their brain playing tricks on them because of the long day and extensive search, but not Toph. She knew her brain and her ears, and both were trained to Tom Tom's voice.

She made her way to the side of the building.

Behind her, Aang ran a hand down his face because he had no choice but to follow her. He sighed. "Don't worry," he said as he followed her. "I'm right behind you-"

Her hand was over his mouth before she pressed her back against the wall of the building, pulling him with her. "Listen. Don't you hear that?"

He took her hand from over his mouth. "Once again, _you're_ the one with superhuman hearing- Wait a second."

Toph managed to ignore (just _barely_ ) the fact that Aang still held her hand in his in order to listen in. However loudly her heart was beating at the moment, it couldn't compare to how frantically it began to beat when she finally heard his voice clearly.

They both looked over the edge of the building to find Tom Tom himself playing with a _hobo_. Actually, he was _coloring_ with a _hobo_. With a big box of Crayola crayons, at that.

Aang's face fell. "Why is Tom Tom coloring with a hobo?"

Toph, who couldn't contain her excitement managed to ignore (fully, this time) the hobo and the box of crayons. "Tom Tom!" Without a moment's hesitation, she ran up to the child and crouched down to take him into her arms, crushing him in a hug. As if she suddenly realized something, she released him from the hug to hold him at arms length and began patting him down. "Are you hurt? Did anything happen to you? Are you okay?"

Tom Tom, who seemed a bit oblivious to his pat down, stared at her with his mouth ajar and eyes wide open. "Toph... You called me ' _Tom Tom'_."

"And you just called me 'Toph', Topanga."

His face scrunched up as she drew him into another hug. _"Tophy!"_ he whined, his voice muffled.

With a relieved smile, she stood and balanced him on her hip. Then, her smile faded as she regarded the other man.

Aang didn't miss the way that she held Tom Tom closer. So, he turned to the man. "Thank you for keeping him safe."

Toph remained silent.

"Right, T?"

Toph watched him for a bit before looking to Tom Tom. "Are you okay?"

He nodded with a grin. "Uh-huh! I told him that you would come for me! So, we were waiting and we played Uno, Solitaire, and colored, and I told him how you call me Tito, Taco, Tequito, Topanga, Tennessee, Turqoise-"

Aang guessed that Tom Tom wasn't going to finish anytime soon. He also guessed that Toph was going to just stand there and listen with that sappy smile on her face. He wasn't a genius or anything, but if he knew that he didn't step in, they would be stuck there till the morning. The kid talked a lot. He didn't have to be a genius to know that.

Aang coughed into his fist.

Finally, Tom Tom quieted and Toph looked to the hobo. "Thanks."

With a nod and an exasperated scoff. "You're welcome and it's about time y'all got here. The kid talks so much."

Aang chuckled.

"I'm just lucky that the people in this city are so wasteful and just throw their stuff away. I was _going_ to just stick him in this here building, but the kid had me running around searching for Uno cards, and Solitaire cards, and I even had to jack a box of crayons from some _other_ kid!" He scoffed. "Don't lose him again." At that, he turned and began walking away, muttering something about talkative children.

A smile made it's way onto Toph's face as she began walking away. "Glad to have you back, Top-hat."

"Tophy!" Tom Tom whined.

She laughed a bit. Geez, she missed this kid - his screeching, whiny voice and everything. "May I see what you were coloring?"

Tom Tom forgot all about the name change and held the photo out for Toph to see. Quite honestly, from what Aang could see, the drawing, or picture, or _whatever_ it was was _not_ that great. At all. But, from that grin on Toph's face, she seemed to think that it was pretty awesome.

So, as a smile grew onto his own face, Aang finally followed after them and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Nice picture."

Once they finally turned the corner, the hobo came back around to enter the building. He approached the front desk as he pealed off his tattered clothing, revealing a sharp, black tux to be underneath. "They found the kid."

Behind the front desk, Zuko nodded with a smile. "Excellent."

And now, after about a five hour search, Toph and Aang were back on the subway with Tom Tom in their arms. Actually, he was in Toph's arms. As if she was going to let him go after _that_ entire debacle. But, she was just fine with having him asleep in her arms and drooling on her jacket, so long as he was safe.

Sitting across from her, Aang felt his stomach turn. Usually, he liked when the subways were as empty as they were at the moment. There was always more space and he could think more clearly. However, this time, he couldn't help but to wish that more people were there. That way, the conversations or people could serve as a distraction from how motherly she looked at the moment as she cradled Tom Tom in her arms, looking at him like that. That was how she was going to be cradling all of those kids that they joked about having.

He did _not_ just think that.

Hell, he needed a distraction. As if she could sense his turmoil, as she always could, she turned her attention from Tom Tom to him. Before she could ask him anything, he cleared his throat. "I still don't get the ransom note. How was that building his favorite place?"

Toph shrugged as she thought. "I'm not too sure, but we'll figure it out."

He nodded, a smile tugging at his lips when Tom Tom squirmed in her arms and she hugged him closer. She really did look nice with him in her arms like that. "He's tired, huh?"

Toph smiled a bit as she fixed the collar of Tom Tom's jacket. Where did he get this jacket, anyway? Nevertheless, she nodded. "He's had a long day." Then, she frowned a bit. "Geez, I'm acting like Katara."

Aang laughed at that because it was true. "Don't worry. The mama bear look is a good look on you."

She fought a smile. "I highly doubt that you'd still want me to be the mother of all one million point two of your children-"

"Actually, it was nine-"

"If I can't even keep tabs on this one."

"That's not true. I'd still marry you."

"I was talking about the kids, not marriage."

"Just wanted to let you know that I'd do both."

She laughed and he felt his stomach turn for the umpteenth time as a grin grew.


	17. Chapter 17

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Seventeen

.

"Your roots are dug up so, you might as well give up

I see your intentions

You can't handle the truth

He let you go a long time ago, now it's time to turn him loose."

― Jill Scott, "You're Getting in the Way"

.

It was the ringing of the doorbell which woke her up that morning. If it was Zuko, and she just had a _feeling_ that it was _him_ because only _he_ would do such a thing as visiting so early in the morning, then she would kill him. Or, at least, give him another nickname or tease him about his non-relationship with Katara just to spite him. Speaking of Katara, where the hell was she?

With a light groan, Toph put her pillow over her head when the bell sounded again. She would rather suffocate and die by her own pillow than to leave the comfort of her bed so early in the morning on her day off just to answer a door when she lived with Katara. But, where _was_ that woman?!

"Katara!" her bellow was muffled by the pillow. "The doorbell's ringing!"

Surprisingly enough, there was no scurrying of feet making their way to the door or a mothering response that chided Toph for treating her like a maid. _"If you're up,"_ she would say as she made her way to the door. _"You can answer the door."_ But, there was no mothering response and no scurrying of feet on their way to the door to be heard. Instead, Toph was _still hearing that stupid doorbell_!

"Fine!" she screeched as she sat up in her bed. " _I'm_ coming! Not Katara! _Me!_ Toph _freaking_ BeifongAt that and with a huff, she was out of her bed in an instant and making her way down the stairs. She was just so warm and cozy in her bed until some _idiot_ had to ruin it all. "Just hold the hell on!" Before the ringing could continue (as if she would allow it), she whipped the door open. _"What?!"_

Aang blinked at her snarl. "Good morning."

Toph almost took a step back. What was he doing here so early? It wasn't that she minded seeing him so early in the morning, it was just that he knew how much she loved her sleep.

As if he could sense her question, as he always could, he smiled that boyish smile. "Sorry for waking you up. I've been running errands all morning and was in the neighborhood. I thought I'd stop by cuz it's pretty cold out here."

Finally, she noticed his flushed cheeks and red ears. No wonder he was ringing that bell so much. It was snowing - hard.

"Sorry," she apologized. No matter how cute those red ears were, she didn't like that they were brought on by the harsh weather. They were sure to be in pain. "Katara's not here. She would have already gotten you all warmed up."

A brow of his jumped. "Katara's not here?"

"No," she replied. "Why do you think it took so long for the door to be answered?"

He seemed to be thinking for a moment. "So," he finally began tentatively. " _You're_ going to warm me up instead?"

He looked cautious, as if she couldn't be trusted with the task. What an insult. " _Yes_ , Aang. I _am_ capable of warming you up."

"I don't doubt it." At that, he took one step forward, gathered her face into his hands, and kissed her.

Frozen on the spot, she could only stand still with wide eyes as his lips were planted onto hers. Then, it finally clicked in her brain that it was _Aang_ who had his lips planted onto hers. So, of course, she allowed her eyes to flutter shut and opened her mouth to give way for his tongue to slip in, giving him full permission to kiss her. And _boy_ , did he _kiss_ her.

When he pulled away, she was breathless. His hands still held her face and her eyes were still shut because, quite frankly, she was afraid that she was still asleep.

"Are you going to warm me up, Toph?" he asked, his lips brushing hers.

As she attempted to steady both her breathing and her heartbeat, she nodded and their noses and foreheads nudged.

"Answer me."

_Holy hell._

"Yes."

And his lips were on hers again in another searing kiss that made her toes curl up. He took her hands to place them at his neck, allowing her to hug him close as his own hands trailed down her sides before he finally lifted her up and hiked her legs at his hips. When he began walking them into the house, she remembered that they were still outside and that she had neighbors. For all she knew, those peeping-tom neighbors of hers could have been having their own personal show, but it wasn't like she cared.

He kicked the door shut and pressed her up against it, emitting a keen moan that he swallowed. At this point, Toph didn't care if her own parents saw.

When he broke the kiss and began placing a trail of soft ones along the length of her neck, a stuttering sigh escaped her. Her head fell back against the door as she cradled his head. Katara herself could finally make an appearance and she wouldn't care.

"Are you going to warm me up, Toph?" he asked against the skin of her neck.

She nodded with a sigh. "Yes." At this, he kissed his way back up her neck, under and along her jaw and chin, and back to her lips before he placed his forehead onto hers. She opened her eyes as she took his face into her hands and a smile played at her lips. As if his eyes weren't already gorgeous enough. "I'll warm you up," she said with another nod and a growing smile.

He returned the smile and kissed her.

Right before she shot up in her bed with a shout.

Toph placed a hand over her heart, as if _that_ would help her out. What was _that_?! She couldn't even remember the last time she had a wet dream. Not that _that_ would be considered as a wet dream. Could it? It wasn't like they even had a chance to get to the dirty stuff.

Then, she shook her head. She didn't want to clarify whether or not she'd just had a wet dream about her best friend. The fact remained that she had just had a dream like _that_ about _Aang_ \- her best friend.

She slipped out of bed and made her way out of her room. In her daze and rush to escape, she didn't even notice the snowflakes floating outside of her window.

Once she was out of her room, she was on her way to Katara's, shoving the door open as she did so. She didn't care if the older woman was naked or not; she had a problem. But, the room was empty.

Toph's heart actually stuttered. Oh no. This was just like that _dream_.

"Katara!" she screeched because she could _not_ have that happening. Not that she would mind- Was she really debating this?! " _Katara_ , where the _fuck_ are you?!"

" _Toph Beifong_ , you _watch your mouth_ when you're in this house!" was Katara's immediate response.

Toph released a sigh of relief. Cussing was like a mating call for Katara, only there wasn't any mating. Instead, there was chastising, mothering, and lectures. Toph had never been so happy and excited for a lecture before when she realized that the older woman was downstairs. So, she made her way down the stairs and into the living room, only to find Katara reading a magazine on the couch.

"Katara!" she exclaimed with a smile as she ran up to her and actually took her into a hug, crushing her face into her chest. "Katara, you're _here_!"

Whatever smile was on Katara's face was certainly gone now. Normally, she would have been excited and returned the hug. Toph never gave hugs - not to her anyway. But, this wasn't a hug. This was death by boobs. _"'Oph!"_ she attempted as she threw the magazine to the ground and began pushing the younger woman off with no avail. The girl was strong. _"'Ooooooph!"_

Oh, right. Toph released her from her grip. "Sorry. It's just that we have a problem."

Katara huffed as she fixed her self. "I don't think that _we_ have a problem if _you're_ the one going around and suffocating people with _those_ things so early in the morning."

With a roll of her eyes, Toph began shuffling from foot to foot before she stopped to swallow. "Fine. _I_ have a problem."

Katara's hands stopped at her hair and her brows raised. "And you're coming to _me_ instead of _Aang_?"

Toph really didn't want to tell her that she couldn't go to Aang about the problem because he _was_ the problem. "I can't go to him with this."

_Un_ surprisingly enough, there were stars in Katara's eyes paired with a hopeful smile. "You mean... I'm _finally_ on _Aang's_ level?"

Toph was _so_ tempted to turn right back around, walk out , and forget all about the idea. But, she just couldn't get that _dream_ out of her head. "I didn't say _that_. I just need a girlfriend right now."

Katara's smile actually managed to grow bigger. "And you chose _me_?"

Toph didn't think it was that big of a deal. Katara was her closest female friend, not that the older woman knew it. _Toph_ wouldn't be the one to tell her; she didn't want to imagine all of the hugs and squeals _that_ would incur. So, she shrugged. "Yeah, I guess-"

"Oh!" Katara exclaimed as she clapped her hands excitedly. "Does this mean that you'll _finally_ let me do your hair? And paint your nails? And that we'll have sleepovers in each others rooms? Not like _last_ time, though, not that I _minded_ having you in my room, it's just that _that_ wasn't very _fun_ -"

_"Katara."_

The older woman composed herself, patting her hair down and sitting up as she did so. "Okay, okay. What's the problem?" Then, she paused. _"Girlfriend?"_

Goodness, Toph was so tempted to leave, but she needed someone to talk to and Aang was _not_ an option. So, with a heavy sigh, Toph sat beside Katara before covering her face with her hands. "I had a wet dream."

"Wow! We're _already_ talking about _sex_ -!"

_"Katara!"_

"Sorry, sorry!" she exclaimed in a fit of giggles. "I'm listening."

Toph didn't know if it was because she was so out of it, but those giggles seemed to be really contagious. "I just," she laughed out before taking in a breath and tucking her legs underneath herself. "There's a boy."

This entire scene was shaping up to look a bit like that girl talk Toph had been attempting to avoid her entire life. When Katara nodded for her to continue, she did so. "I'm growing... a bit too _fond_ of him." She wasn't going to admit to growing feelings for him, but that didn't stop the verbal diarrhea. "I really shouldn't be growing so _fond_ of him because he's such a good friend of mine, but he makes it so hard because he's so sweet. Like the other day!"

Katara leaned in, looking so ready for gossip. "What happened the other day?"

"I lost To- _something_. I lost something and he stayed with me all day to help me find it. I mean, that wasn't the first time that he's helped me find something and it wasn't the first time that we've spent a whole day together, but this time just felt different, y'know?" Then, she sighed as she reclined into the couch. "I was good with ignoring my feel- _fondness_ before that dream."

Katara blinked. "Wow, you've got it bad."

"I don't have anything bad." Actually, she did, but she didn't need it to be brought to light.

"Denial isn't going to make things better." Luckily, before Toph could tell her that denial was exactly what was getting her through this, she continued. "Who is this boy, anyway?"

There was an edge in her voice that told her that she had a clue about who it was. Toph couldn't have that. "A boy I met at school," she lied as she kept a smile at bay. "His name is Kahn."

_"Kahn?"_ Katara looked immensely disappointed, mostly because she was wrong. Actually, she would have been right if Toph had told her the truth, but once again, she couldn't have that. "Who the hell is _Kahn_?"

"Language, Katara."

"Sorry. I've just never heard of a _Kahn_ before."

"That's because you're always so stuck on policing me and Aang." With good reason.

"Oh." There was a bit of a smile on her face that reached Toph's lips. "Sorry, I don't mean to - you know that. It's just that after Zuko put that idea into my head, I haven't been able to get it out. You're like the little sister that I've never had. It's my job."

Ugh. Toph wasn't looking to get all sappy today, especially not with the Sap Master, herself. Nevertheless, Toph remained seated because her problem wasn't resolved and also because, quite frankly, it felt nice. "Any advice?"

"On _Kahn_?" When Toph nodded, Katara tapped her chin. "Well, if I were you, I'd try to get a feel for what his feelings are regarding me. I wouldn't be surprised if he felt the same - you're a catch. But, if he doesn't, then you've got to keep it moving."

The advice was actually good and sound, but Toph wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Katara that it probably wouldn't work for her. How was she supposed to move on from her best friend? If she was going to do that, then she would have to cut him off completely and she wasn't going to do _that_. She couldn't. However, if she couldn't cut him off, the least she could do was encourage him to go to Europe. Not only would that save their friendship, but he would be happy.

"I will have to meet him."

Toph nodded. She could probably bring Kahn around once just to appease the older woman and it wasn't like she wouldn't meet him at her school. Katara did go to Aang's games and Kahn was Aang's biggest fan. "You will."

Katara's nose scrunched. "Is he cute?"

Actually, Kahn was very cute. Aang was cuter, but that was probably Toph just being biased. She nodded again. "He's got dimples."

Katara nodded approvingly. "Good choice."

Toph laughed a bit. Katara wasn't so bad once she realized that she wasn't her mother. "When's the last time you had a wet dream?"

The older woman pursed her lips.

"It's only fair. And no beating around the bush."

It was quiet before Katara released a sigh. "Okay, don't tell anyone this."

Toph raised a hand. "Girlfriend's honor." That smile on Katara's face really was nice. Maybe Toph could do this whole girlfriend thing. She would need to when Aang was away.

Katara released another sigh. "Okay. I can't tell you when, but I can tell you that it was recent."

"Was it about Zuko?" The darkening of Katara's face made forced a laugh out of Toph. "It was! It was _totally_ about Zuko!"

Katara covered her face with her hands. Then, she groaned. "He's so hot."

Another laugh escaped Toph and when the older woman peaked from behind her fingers, her laughter grew. When Katara shook her head and closed her fingers in front of her eyes before her own laughter started, Toph decided that she could definitely do this girlfriend thing. If she had to, that is.

_Aang was fifteen when he lost his virginity. To Koko. Honestly, it just_ happened _. His sixteenth birthday was coming up, but he was still only fifteen and they had only been going out for about two months. All he remembered was that he and Koko were talking, then that turned into him and Koko making out, then that turned into him and Koko taking their clothes off, and then POOF. Like magic, it was gone - his virginity, that is. Sure, Koko was his girlfriend, but he hadn't meant for_ that _to happen - not with her, anyway, and Toph knew it._ _They were, technically, supposed to be each other's firsts, but he_ really _hadn't meant for it to happen that first time. Or that second time. Or that third time._

_Toph was his best friend; she would forgive him._

_Right?_

_"What the hell, Aang?!_ I _was supposed to be your first time!_ I _was the one who laid claim to your virginity!"_

_Thank goodness his father wasn't home to hear this conversation. But, it was obvious that she wasn't trying to listen to him, which meant that it was time for plan B: fight back. "Toph, you can't lay claim to virginity! This is the 21st century!"_

_"And now," she continued undeterred. "After being under the illusion that_ I _would be the one, '_ the one _' is_ actually _Koko the Crazy Pants!"_

_"Don't call her that!"_

_"I'll call that virginity thief whatever the hell I want!"_

_"She just came first this time."_

_She snorted. "Obviously."_

_"T., don't be so_ vulgar

_"Are you- Are you_ really _trying to tell me what to do right now?!"_

_"No! I'm not! I was just saying-"_

_She released a huff and began pacing. "I bet she was just_ screeching _the whole damn time. '_ Oh, Aangy!' _", she mocked as she screeched. "'Faster,_ AangyAangy, _your bald head is sooooooo sexy,_ Aangy _!'" She stopped in her pacing with a stomp of her foot. "_ I _would_ not _have screeched!"_

_"This is one conversation that we_ really _shouldn't be having-"_

_"I swear, you better stop trying to tell me what to do-!"_

_"Oh, my goodness! Will you stop being such a_ brat

_It was quiet._

_"Well," she finally spoke after a moment. "You should have thought about your_ best friend _being a brat before you went ahead and gave your virginity away!"_

_"Oh, my_ goodness _, Toph-!"_

_"It was supposed to be_ mine

_"Fine! I'm sorry-!"_

_"Boo, you whore-!"_

_"Are you really about to start quoting_ Mean Girls

_"Who says that I was quoting?!"_

_A gasp. "_ Toph Beifong!"

_"At least I_ have _a last name!"_

_"I do_ so _have a last name!"_

_"Whatever!" she yelled as she began making her way out. "I'm going to get something to eat. In the meantime, why don't you go find Crazy-"_

Toph-!"

_"And have some more screechy sex!"_

_"I broke up with her."_

_That stopped her dead in her tracks. She turned around to look at him. "You broke up with Koko?"_

_"I broke up with Koko."_

_Surprisingly enough, she looked angry. So, she stalked up to him to punch him right in the arm, ignoring his 'Toph, seriously!'. "What the hell, Aang?! You can't just have sex with a girl and break up with her! Is that your game now?! I might not like her, but I'm not going to let you do that!"_

_He shirked back to avoid another punch. "No, I would never do that! You've got it all wrong-!"_

_"Excuse me-?!"_

_"I mean, I broke up with her today, but we had sex, like, two weeks ago!"_

_"Two_ weeks _ago?! Oh, so now you're keeping_ secrets _from me?!"_

_He just kept digging himself in deeper. "No, no! You were right! She's crazy!"_

_With a scoff and a roll of her eyes, she crossed her arms. "Of course, I was right. I'm always right."_

_He released a sigh when there was a bit of a smile playing at her lips. At least, she wasn't mad anymore. And she put her fists away. He sat with a sigh. "T., she won't leave me alone. I mean, we only did it three times, but-"_

_"Three times?!"_

_He held his hands up in defense before he began rambling. "Yes, but, I swear, the first wasn't that great, but she kept coming back for more, even now when we're broken up!" He took his phone out and threw it to her before she could get another punch in. "See?! Look!"_

_With a huff, she took the phone and typed the password in before she sat beside him. They knew the codes to each other's phones; it wasn't a big deal to them. She laughed. "'Aangy'," she read aloud. "'I miss you soooooo much! My heart is breaking!' Damn, you must be pretty good in bed if she's pining after you like this. Not that_ I _would know, of course."_

_She was never going to let him live this down. "She thinks that you broke us up."_

_"Good."_

Toph."

Aang." _At that, she stood and held a hand out for him. "Come on, I'll let you make me a sandwich."_

_"What an honor." Nevertheless, he took her hand and allowed her to pull him up and lead him to the kitchen._

_"Sorry about your break up, Twinkles. You seemed to really like her."_

_"I did, but I like my sanity and piece of mind more."_

I _never liked her."_

_"I know."_

_"Next time you get a girlfriend, make sure that_ I _like her."_

_"I know."_

_"I was right about her being crazy."_

_"I_ know

_"You're going to put avocados in it, right?"_

_"I know-!" He ignored her smug look. "I mean, yeah."_

Surprisingly enough, in the midst of all of the distractions, Aang had actually managed to forget all about the whole 'Europe problem'. And it was a problem. Such a problem that he had been contemplating on whether to go or not because of his newfound attachment and even newer found and growing feelings for Toph. In fact, Aang hadn't seriously thought about going to Europe since he had made up with Toph after their fight. The fight in which _she_ had _implored_ with _him_ not to go. So, it made absolutely no sense that _she_ was now _encouraging_ him to leave. Actually, it felt more like she was begging him to leave.

Needless to say, it hurt a little, especially with his growing crush. "Why do you want me to leave so badly?"

She scoffed as they turned a corner, passing several people. They were in school and on a break. She thought that this would be the perfect time to talk about this.

"It's not like I'm trying to get _rid_ of you," Which she totally and undoubtably was. She needed him to go to the other side of the world. Yes, it was selfish, but it would be even more selfish to allow her feelings for him to grow and ruin their friendship. At least, this was what she told herself. "It's just that this school and that program is a really good opportunity for you. You said so yourself."

He stopped walking, prompting her to do the same beside him, giving him the chance to study her. She had the ability to read him flawlessly, but he couldn't always do the same with her and they both knew it. Little did he know that for this, she had never been happier. "Come on, T. If I leave, who else is going to drive you around and get you all gigglified?" At that, he resumed walking.

Her jaw dropped as she watched his back. Then, with a huff, she stomped up to him and punched his arm, ignoring his _'Toph!'_ and the people that turned to look at them. Half of this campus should have been used to this by now. "That's _not_ a word. Besides, Kahn has a car."

He looked at her. "That's not funny."

She snorted. "Definitely not as funny as someone forgetting their birthday-" She cut herself off and bit on her lip. Before he could say anything, she continued. "What do you have against Kahn, anyway?"

"I don't have anything against Kahn."

"I can tell when you're lying. He's your biggest fan and instead of basking in the praise that he showers upon you, which I _really_ don't think that you deserve by the way-"

_"Toph-"_

"It's almost like you hate him."

A pause.

"I don't _hate_ anybody."

"Oh, right. 'To hate is to kill a brother' and all that jazz."

"And I don't want him dead. _Per se_."

_"Aang."_

"I just don't think that he's good news. Not for you."

"Not for _me_?"

"Not for _you_."

"And just what the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It's the dimples-"

"Are you kidding me-"

"They're dangerous because they _draw_ people to him and _entrance_ them-"

"They're dimples, not vortexes-"

"They might as well be vortexes. In fact, they're so deep that I don't even want you standing close to him anymore-"

"When have I ever let you tell me what to do-"

"One day, he'll laugh so hard that you'll get sucked into one of his dimples and we'll never see you again!"

_"Aang!"_ Her incredulous laughter followed and he smiled. Then, she added with a sigh, "I don't think that Katara likes him, either."

"I don't _not_ like him. Just not for _you_." Finally, what she said registered. "Why doesn't Katara like Kahn?"

"Because I told her that I have a crush on him."

Record scratch.

He stopped in his walking for the second time, only this was a bit more abrupt. How could it not have been abrupt? His crush just told him that she told _someone_ else that she had a crush on someone who wasn't _him_. It wasn't just the fact that she had a crush on someone else that bothered him, it was also the fact that she told someone before telling him. And that someone else was Katara; since when had she trusted _Katara_ enough to tell her something like that? He had a crush on Toph, but she was still his best friend. "Excuse me? Why would you tell _her_ that?"

"To get her off of your back."

"Oh." Pause. "Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you like him?"

"No," she scoffed. "He's _bad_ for me, remember?"

It took all of Aang's power not to release a breath of relief, even if she was being a bit sarcastic.

"But, his dimples are nice."

Before he could say anything, he heard Toph's name and his own being called. Actually, it wasn't his actual birth name being called, but his nickname - Peter Pan. Which meant that it was _him_.

"Guys!" Kahn greeted as he approached them with a smile. "Hey, how crazy is it that it's already snowing outside?"

The dream that she'd had that same morning popped into her head and she resisted the urge to take a step away from Aang. Actually, a smile slid onto her face. She couldn't help it with Kahn. His smile really was incredibly contagious, especially with those dimples. She sighed with a shake of her head. "It's _pretty_ crazy, Dimples."

Aang looked at her. He got a nickname already? She'd literally just met Kahn last week and he got a nickname faster than Sokka did. "Dimples?"

She looked at him. "You know, the _vortexes_ on his face."

Aang palmed his face. "Oh, my _goodness_ , Toph-"

Kahn's brows knitted. "Vortexes?"

Goodness, the guy was adorable. Forget Tom Tom reminding her of Aang; Tom Tom was definitely Kahn's mini-me. She glanced at Aang before meeting Kahn's eyes. "Rumor has it that when people have dimples as deep as yours-"

Aang shook his head from behind his hand.

"That those dimples would be considered extremely _dangerous_ ," she finished with an air of mystery.

"Like a _vortex_?" Kahn asked before adding, "On someone's _face_?"

With a sigh, Aang slid his hand off of his face because Toph was so much trouble. "Yes," he answered, ignoring her smug look. "Like a vortex on someone's face."

"But, this is just a rumor," he and Toph said together.

Kahn took a step back. "Woah."

"We share a brain," they said together.

When Kahn took another step back, she laughed before she made a move to walk off. "It's been real, boys, but I have a meeting to get to."

Speaking of meetings, they were supposed to have a meeting for their operation later on. "Are we still going to have our meeting?"

"Perhaps," she said with a shrug and she walked off.

Aang blinked. What did she mean by that? Nevertheless, he didn't attempt to stop her from walking away. "See you later, T.," both he and Kahn said.

Aang whipped his head around to look at Kahn. He didn't catch the wave that she tossed before turning a corner. " _What_ did you just call her?"

"Oh, 'T'," Kahn responded with a kind smile. "You know, since her name is 'Toph' and that's the first letter of her name. I thought that it would be cute-"

That smile would have gotten by with Toph. As bizarre as that fact was. "It isn't."

Kahn blinked. "It isn't cute?"

"No, it's not cute, Kahn. It's not cute, at all," Aang said as he took one step forward, putting him face-to-face with the other man. "Don't call her that. Only I can."

Kahn looked from side to side. What was going on? "May I ask why?"

"Because I said so." He took another step forward, inserting himself into Kahn's space. Now, Aang hadn't acted like this on Toph's behalf in a while. The only difference was that now, he wasn't attempting to protect her. "You just met her. You have no business giving her any nicknames."

Kahn began sputtering. "But, I already got used to calling her 'T'!"

Why did Toph let him get used to that? First ' _Dimples_ ' and now, ' _T_ '? Just how much time had they been spending together? "I don't care," he said. "Her name is 'Toph'. Call her by her name." He took another step forward, a surge of animalistic pride surging through him when Kahn swallowed. "Got it?"

Kahn watched him for a few moments. "You like her."

This time, Aang actually took a step back. "She's my best friend. Of course, I like her."

"No," Kahn argued with a growing and giddy smile. "You _like_ her. Like, _like-like_ her. You like-like her so much that you're willing to threaten me."

"I wasn't _threatening_ you."

"So, you don't deny the fact that you like her?"

Aang blinked. "What? That's not a fact."

"So, it's a possibility?"

Aang took another step back with a shake of his head. "Huh? No! It's not a possibility!"

"Or a fact?"

" _No_ , Kahn! I don't know!" He stopped when Kahn's smile grew. Where did _that_ come from? "How did you do that?"

Kahn shrugged. "I'm a psychology major."

Aang looked up to the heavens with an exasperated, "Of course, he's a _psychology_ major."

Kahn's smile transformed into a grin. "Why don't you tell her?"

And that was Aang's cue. "See you later, Kahn." At that, he began walking away.

But, he didn't count on Kahn following him. "Okay," he said. "That was stupid. You can't just up and _tell_ her. I mean, she's your best friend."

"I'm going to be late for work, Kahn."

He snapped his fingers. "I know what'll get her attention."

"Seriously, Kahn. Don't you have a class or something?"

"Flirt!"

That got Aang's attention. He didn't halt in his walking, but he did slow down a bit. "What do you mean?" he asked hesitantly.

Kahn scoffed as if it should have been obvious. "I mean, girls like it when guys flirt with them-"

"Toph's not like other girls."

"But, she's still a girl."

Finally and with a sigh, Aang stopped walking and turned to look at Kahn. He had that big grin on his face with those _stupid dimples_ so deeply indented into his cheeks. By now, even Aang had to admit that the guy was adorable. Honestly, those dimples were in their final form at the moment. He was sure that Toph loved them.

Aang hated them. "If I _were_ to like Toph," he began cautiously before quickly adding, "And this is all hypothetical."

"Hypothetically speaking," Kahn affirmed with a nod. "Got it."

"Right." Aang returned the nod. "If I were to like Toph, _hypothetically_ , how are you so sure that flirting would even work?"

Oh, Kahn was sure that it would work. Especially since now, he knew for sure that Aang had feelings for Toph. What kind of fan would he be if he didn't help his idol get his girl? "Although social stigma tells us that girls hate flirts, research and studies show otherwise. Girls do like flirts. In fact, they love them. But, only when they're flirting with them. It makes them feel special and wanted. Like-"

"Like they're the only girl in the world."

"Right."

Aang thought on the information before he looked around a bit. He didn't like that knowing look in Kahn's eyes. Or those _stupid dimples_. After a moment of blatant eye avoidance, he looked back to Kahn. "Sorry for threatening you earlier. It was out of line."

Kahn nodded with a smile. "It's no biggie."

"Don't tell her that I threatened you."

"Of course."

"What's her name?"

"Toph. Not 'T'. Just Toph."

Aang finally returned the nod. "You think that flirting would work? In the hypothetical situation, I mean?"

"Yes," Kahn answered immediately and with an assured nod. "I do. Besides, what do I know? I'm just a psychology major. You know what your best friend likes."

Correction: _that_ was Aang's cue. "It was all hypothetical. I don't like her." He spun around and resumed walking.

Once again, Kahn followed close behind. "But, she's your best friend. You have to like her."

"You know what I mean!"

Kahn bit back a laugh and stayed behind, allowing Aang to leave. "See you later, Peter Pan."

"Yeah, yeah," he responded with a wave. Then, he looked up to the sky. "A _psychology_ major?" he muttered to himself. _"Really?"_

Kahn chuckled to himself at that before taking his phone out. Once he dialed a number, he held the device to his ear. "The seed's been planted."

This year, Toph was the head of the committee for the winter social. It had been brought up to her that there was a struggling club that needed help in their fundings. She wasn't much of a dictator, so after three meetings, she and the rest of the group had collectively decided that the social would be a bachelor's auction. It wasn't a very creative or imaginative idea, but it was definitely a step up from what the school normally did. Of course, she was on board - not because she cared about that club, but because she just wanted to raise money. Quite honestly, even now she still didn't know what club they were raising money for. But, now she had a clue as to why Aang was asked to be a bachelor. Sitting before Toph (quite comfortably, actually) was none other than Koko, herself.

It was a miracle that Toph's jaw hadn't dropped. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

A smile slid onto Koko's face. "Oh, you didn't know, Tophy-"

"That's not my name."

"I'm the head of the journalism club," she continued. "The one you're working to raise the funds for."

Toph looked around the room. What a coincidence: that same person who asked for Aang to be in the auction wasn't there once Koko decided to show up. She set her bag down and crossed her arms. "Meeting adjourned."

Behind her, someone raised their hand and cleared his throat. "But, we haven't even started, yet-"

"This meeting is _adjourned_ , Pablo!"

Pablo seemed to find no problem with that and immediately, he was up on his feet as the rest of the committee followed him in his rush out. Once the door was shut, Toph sighed. "How are you the head of the journalism club if you don't even go to this school, Crazy?"

Koko's jaw ticked. Nevertheless, the smile remained. "I transferred, silly."

"You _transferred_ ," Toph deadpanned. "May I ask why?"

Her smile widened. "To be reunited with Aangy, of course!"

Now, Toph had to sit down because the woman was crazy. With a sigh, she pinched the bridge of her nose as she sat on top of a table. "Let me get this straight: so, instead of moving on with your life and finding someone who does love you, you actually went through the arduous task of _transferring_ to another school in order to be with _Aang_ , even though he wants nothing to do with you? The word 'stuck' is defined as being or becoming fixed or jammed in one place as a result of obstruction. Now, although _I_ personally think that this definition fits into this situation _perfectly_ , 'stuck' has _many_ other definitions, all of which I'd be happy to supply you with-"

Koko stood as she slammed her palms onto the table, drawing one satisfied smirk from Toph. "Don't patronize me, _Tophy_!"

The smirk fell. "That's _not_ my name! Now, you better tell me just what the hell you're doing here!"

"I already told you what I'm doing here! To be reunited with Aangy!"

" _Aang_ does not want you! Are you deaf?! Let me define that for you! Deaf: an adjective! Lacking the power of hearing! Luckily for you, if you can't understand that, the word 'deaf' _also_ has many other definitions- "

"I don't need you to quote dictionaries for me, you little freak!" Koko smiled when Toph faltered a bit. "He doesn't want _me_? Tell me who he does want then. Is it you? Does he want _you_ , Miss Toph Beifong?"

Toph didn't want to have to clarify that, especially when she knew that he didn't. Not like that, anyway. "What a surprise," she said with a smile that matched Koko's. "You actually said my name correctly-"

"Don't change the subject, Toph-!"

"That's the last time you'll interrupt me as I speak!" When Koko actually swallowed and took a step back, Toph felt a surge of pride run through her. She was a Beifong; she was supposed to know how to put people in their place. "Now, Koko, what were you so _eager_ to tell me?"

Koko's eyes narrowed a bit in a glare before she spoke. "The last time I spoke to you, you told me that Aangy was your boyfriend."

"Yes, I did tell you that _Aang_ was my boyfriend."

"You lied to me."

"Yes, I did." Then, Toph snorted as she reclined onto her arms and crossed her legs. "Can you blame me? I had to protect my best friend."

Koko actually chortled, as if the whole conversation thus far was hilarious. "Protection from little old me?" She sighed. "I'll just cut to the chase, Tophy-"

Toph raised a brow.

"Toph. I'll cut to the chase, _Toph_ ," Koko corrected herself. "Aangy's single, which means he's on the market and up for grabs."

"Yes, _Aang_ is single, but he's also not some piece of meat."

"He'll be mine soon." When Toph's brows knitted a bit, Koko's smile grew and she stepped around her table to approach Toph. "He will be _my_ piece of meat soon and you're going to stay out of my way."

Toph had no doubt that Aang would reject Koko. That wasn't the problem she had with this suggestion. The problem at hand? "Are you telling me what to do?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh," Toph laughed out. "I was _going_ to step aside and let you humiliate yourself with Aang's rejections, but since you want to tell me what to do? Have fun trying to win Aang over with me constantly by his side."

Koko's lips pursed at that, most likely, because she knew that it was true. Then, her smile grew a bit calculated. "I'd know that look anywhere."

Toph snorted. "I doubt it. I'm the only one with this face. Unless you've been having dreams about me."

"Nightmares." When Toph laughed, Koko took another step toward her. "You like him."

That killed Toph's laughing spree. "Of course, I like him. He's my best friend."

"No, you _like_ him," Koko said with a growing smile. "You've got that jealous and possessive look all up in those pretty eyes of yours."

Toph returned the smile. "You think that I have pretty eyes?"

Koko sneered, giving the other woman a mocking smile. "I think that you like Aang."

Goodness, she was standing way too close for Toph's liking. "I think that you need to take a step back."

"But," Koko began as she took a step back with a growing smile. She was getting to Toph and she knew it. "I _know_ that he'll be mine."

Was that a _challenge_? Toph was never one to fight for any boy, especially if that boy was _Aang._ Toph was all about girl power, and having women stand together, and whatnot, so fighting another woman for a _boy_ was _not_ her thing. "I think that you're pretty, too. But, it's a shame that someone so pretty would have such an ugly personality."

Koko took another step back and seemed to be hesitating. "I'll see you around, Toph," she finally said after a moment.

Toph shrugged. "I don't doubt it."

With one final glare, Koko made her way to the door, only to open it and have the members of the committee fall into the room. "Oh," she said as she ignored them to look back to Toph. "And tell Aang that I wish him a very happy birthday."

It wouldn't be a very happy birthday anymore with her back in the picture, but Toph didn't tell her this. Instead, she nodded. "I will."

As Koko stepped around the committee at the foot of the door and out of the room, Pablo stood with an excited grin. "You _totally_ won that round, boss!"

This was why Pablo was one of her favorites. As a smile slid onto her face, a young woman still on the floor spoke up as she fixed her glasses. "Are we still doing the auction?"

Toph snorted. When she started something, she finished it - even if the person who spawned her to start it all was _Koko_. Plus, she'd already put flyers about the auction all over the school and told the dean about it. Retracting all of that, just to put something else in its place because of an extreme case of unrequited love would take too much work. "Of course, we are."


	18. Chapter 18

_**Warning:**_ There are mentions of sexual abuse in this chapter. I don't want to trigger anyone so please, if this warning applies to you, _**do not read.**_ I really don't want _anyone_ to be set off or triggered by this. Thank you!

* * *

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Eighteen

.

"It is lovely, when I forget all birthdays, including my own, to find that somebody remembers me."

― Ellen Glasgow

.

Aang was arriving home early today. Well, earlier than he usually would - much earlier. For some reason, before Aang could even get through the front doors of the teashop, Iroh popped up (out of nowhere, it seemed) and pushed him right back out, sending him away as he did so.

Aang was hoping that he hadn't gotten fired. He needed the money and it wasn't like he had done anything wrong. At least, he didn't think that he had done anything wrong. In fact, Iroh _assured_ him that he hadn't done anything wrong and that he wasn't being fired as he shut the doors.

"Have a great day, my boy!" he exclaimed as he stood there in front of the doors, just waiting for Aang to finally leave. Now, there was no doubt that Aang was stronger than the old man and could definitely power his way through him, those doors, and to his paycheck. However, he was _not_ about to power his way through _Iroh_. The old man had been there throughout Aang's entire childhood and quite frankly, his mother taught him better than that. Plus, that actually would get him fired.

So, with a sigh and a wave to an ever grinning Iroh, Aang returned to his car and began making his way back to school. He didn't have any classes, but Toph did have that meeting. Since he had literally just been kicked out of his workplace (without even being fired, mind you), he would wait for her to finish that meeting of hers. It made more sense to just wait for her and get right to their meeting for _Operation: Zutara._

But then, as if she knew that he was on his way to the school (which really wouldn't have been surprising at all since they shared a brain), she called him to say that he didn't need to pick her up. She would find her own way home. Of course, he was ready to argue this. Who was she going home with? He was the one who picked her up this morning. He didn't want her taking the bus home. He definitely didn't want _Kahn_ taking her home.

Before he could ask her if _Kahn_ would be the one taking her home since apparently, _he_ had a car, too, she spoke the most fatal words: "Don't you dare try to tell me what to do."

That was the end of _that_ conversation. And so, after being rejected by both his boss and his best friend/crush, he finally decided to make his way home. At least there, his father wouldn't reject him. And even if he did, Appa always showed him love.

With that final thought, he stuck the key into the keyhole of the front door to his home, only to open it and be met with a loud and boisterous, "Surprise!"

"Gah!" Aang placed a hand over his heart as he observed the crowd standing in the middle of his house. Everyone was there - his friends, the team, the coach, and his father's bald head shined somewhere in the middle of the crowd. They all had smiles on their faces, really creepy smiles now that he thought about it. What were they all doing just _standing_ there and _smiling_? Did they think that it was okay for them to send him away and avoid him all day only to take up residency in his house? With those _creepy_ _smiles_?

When Appa jumped with a bark, Aang snapped out of his daze. "What the _hell_ are you all doing in my house?!"

Gyatso's tutting could be heard right before Katara's, " _Language_ , Aang!"

Azula, the only one without a smile Aang noticed, looked a bit unimpressed with his outburst. "Happy birthday."

Aang blinked. It was his _birthday_? Finally, he noticed the party hats on everyone's heads, including Appa's. Then, he looked up to see a large, orange banner above his head (how did he miss _that_?) that read, _"Happy Birthday!"_

" _Oh_ ," he said as he stared at the banner. They weren't trying to get rid of him or avoid him. They were planning a surprise party for him. Then, with a chipper smile, he added, "Thanks!"

Behind him, Toph snorted to Suki who shook her head. "I told you he forgot."

Through the still opened front door, Zuko came running in. "I'm not late, am I- _Oof!_ " he exclaimed as Appa tackled him to the ground.

As everyone groaned, Sokka smiled in approval as Appa muffled Zuko's complaints with his laps. "I always did like Appa."

Aang couldn't believe that he managed to forget his own birthday. It seemed that everything that had been going on had taken more of a toll on him than he'd realized. First, the operation, then basketball season snuck up on him. He had to work and go to school as a full-time student, he and Toph lost Tom Tom, he wasn't sure if he wanted to leave the country or not, and to make matters even more confusing and overwhelming, he now had a full blown crush on Toph: his best friend for sixteen years. To top it all off, he was _pretty_ sure that _Kahn_ knew of said crush while he was just confused about it.

Aang had never forgotten his birthday before (not with the parents that he had), but he was excusing himself this year. It was all just too overwhelming to think about and take in all at once. Which was why as the party was going on, he was hiding in the kitchen. Well, technically speaking, he wasn't _hiding_ since the kitchen was free for any of the party goers to enter as they pleased, but he was away from the party.

"What are you doing in here?"

He jumped and turned to see Toph. Behind her, Sokka could be seen hanging and swinging from the ceiling fan as Gyatso poked at his backside with a stick, Katara covered her face in embarrassment, a couple of his teammates cheered him on, and Suki looked on in amusement as she ate a slice of pizza.

Aang frowned a bit. He was just hoping that Sokka wouldn't bring the fan down with him. Then, he looked back to Toph and found her waiting for an answer. "I just needed to be by myself for a minute."

She snorted. "One minute isn't thirty. You get a party thrown for you, hide out in the kitchen, and _Toph_ is the brat."

He felt his face heat up when she walked past him to make her way for the refrigerator. "That's not true! I'm not ungrateful and you know it-!"

"Calm down," she said with a roll of her eyes and a wave of her hand as she opened the refrigerator door. "I was kidding," she called out with her head stuck in the refrigerator. "If anyone's going to be grateful about anything, it's you."

He smiled.

"Just turned twenty and you're already getting cranky and nitpicky."

_"Toph."_

_"Aang."_ Finally, she emerged from the refrigerator with a box and a smile. "Vegan Oreo and fudge brownie ice cream cake. Your favorite. I figured that I'd hide it in here so that we'd get first dibs before Sokka could get his hands on this."

As if on cue, Sokka's whooping was heard before a crash.

Aang winced at the sound of a groan paired with his teammates laughter. He _really_ hoped that the fan hadn't come down with him. His apprehension was overshadowed by his sweet tooth when Toph sat on the counter, set the box on her lap, and opened it. At the sight of the cake, his stomach turned a bit and he went digging through a drawer for forks. Once he found them, he approached her and gave her one.

Immediately, she stuck her fork into the cake and put it into her mouth, only to shut her eyes in pain. He chuckled. "That's what you get for being selfish and hiding a cake away from your guests."

She shook her head before swallowing. "If there's any day to be selfish, it's on your birthday."

He pointed his fork at her. "It's not _your_ birthday." Finally, she opened her eyes and he felt his stomach turn and it wasn't in hunger. Well, not in hunger for _food_ , anyway. He shook that off and looked at the cake. "You don't get to be selfish."

"We share a brain, so we might as well share some emotions," she said.

He almost snorted as he picked at the cake. He _wished_ that they shared some emotions. He stuck his fork into a brownie before picking it up and putting it into his mouth.

"By the way, these are your guests and your house, remember?" she continued. "Not mine. Besides, I don't see you complaining."

He watched her fork pick another piece up, albeit much smaller to keep the pain away, before his eyes followed the fork up to her mouth. "I'm not complaining," he said as he met her eyes. "Thank you."

She nodded with the fork in her mouth before she frowned a bit. Then, before he could ask her what was wrong, she removed the fork from her mouth to speak. "Other than this being your birthday, this party was aptly planned. Not that I knew it."

He took another piece of brownie with his fork. "What do you mean?" he asked before sticking the brownie into his mouth.

"Koko's back."

The brownie lodged itself in his throat and he began to choke.

Toph shoved him away as she covered the cake. "Not on the cake! Not on the cake!"

Aang didn't care that she was more worried about the cake being tainted than him choking to death. They both knew that he would survive that. However, what he wouldn't survive was the return of Koko. He thought that he was done with her. "What do you mean Koko's back?!"

"That she's back," she said as she placed the cake onto the counter and stood to take a cup. Once she filled it with water, she handed it to him. "I went to have my meeting and she was sitting there in the midst of everyone as if she belonged there."

Aang downed the water. As if she _belonged_ there? Was she already getting comfortable? Quite frankly, Aang couldn't get over the fact that he had been in the same building with Koko and didn't even know it.

"She wishes you a _very_ happy birthday, by the way."

Aang set the cup down. "This isn't funny!"

Toph snorted. His red face was pretty funny, but she didn't think that she should tell him that. "Don't worry. She didn't come back for you."

He released a sigh. "She didn't?"

Toph looked contemplative. "I mean, _technically_ she did."

_"Toph!"_

"But, she _really_ came to keep me away from you!" she blurted out.

Aang thought on what she said before nodding for her to continue. "What do you mean?"

"She still thinks that I broke you two up," Toph told him as she reclined onto the counter. "She told me and I quote, ' _Aangy's_ single," she began in a shrill voice. "'Which means he's _on the_ _market_ and up for _grabs_.'"

His jaw locked. "I'm not some piece of meat."

She smiled. "That's exactly what I told her. To which she replied-"

"And I quote," they said together before Toph continued in her shrilly voice. "'He'll be _mine_ soon. He _will_ be _my_ piece of meat soon and _you're_ going to stay _out of my way_.'"

Aang was pretty sure that Koko hadn't said it like that. Sure she was dramatic, but not _that_ dramatic. Nevertheless, he accepted it. "And then what?"

"We called each other pretty."

Aang was mid-nod before he faltered. " _You_ two called each other _pretty_?"

"I swear, she said it first," Toph began before she started in her shrilly voice. "'I can _see_ that jealous and possessive look all up _in_ those _pretty_ _eyes_ of yours.'"

He laughed because that time, she made Koko sound a bit witchy. "I agree."

Her brow jumped. "About the jealousy and possessiveness?"

He hadn't meant to say that and it wasn't like he could lie to her. So, he might as well tell her the truth. "About the pretty eyes."

"Oh." A corner of her mouth curved. "I agree, too."

He shook his head. It wasn't always easy complimenting someone so proud. "The last time we saw her, you told her that I was your boyfriend. I thought that she bought it."

"Nah," she said. "She's crazy, but she's not stupid."

A pause.

"So?"

"'So' what?"

"Are you going to stay out of her way?"

Toph snorted. " _No_. She tried to tell _me_ what to do. If anything, I'm going to be sticking even closer to you."

Aang liked the sound of _that,_ not only because he would be getting protection, but because of _who_ would be protecting him. "So, you're going to kick her butt, right?"

She rolled her eyes as she reclaimed her seat onto the counter. "Twinkletoes," she said as she took the cake to place it back onto her lap. "I'm not kicking some girl's butt for you."

His jaw dropped and he approached her. "You're supposed to be my bodyguard!"

"Twinkles, how would it look if _I_ became your bodyguard?"

"I don't care, so long as I get protection. Besides, there are plenty of small bodyguards out there."

"Just in case you don't remember, you took that position up a while ago."

"I'm serious, just turn ugly again and the position of the bodyguard is all yours."

"How many times do I need to tell you that I was never ugly?!"

He scoffed. "I've got plenty of old photographs that _beg_ to differ-"

The forkful of brownies that she stuck into his mouth promptly stopped his tirade before it could even begin. He found himself frozen at the sight of that amused smile on her face. This wasn't the first time that either of them had fed the other, whether it was when he was cooking something and wanted her to test it or she discovered a new food and wanted him to try it. The only difference was that now, he couldn't get the images of his mother feeding his father out of his head or ignore the feeling that Toph would be the perfect one to continue that tradition with.

She looked past him. "Didn't anyone teach you not to eavesdrop?"

Aang blinked up at her, mouth still full of brownies and a fork. Who was she talking to?

"Didn't anyone teach you to respect your elders?"

Crap. It was his _father_. With a silent prayer to the heavens, Aang slowly removed the fork from his mouth and turned to face him. "Dad," he said as he chewed the chocolatey treat. "Hey."

Gyatso stepped into the kitchen, sitting at a stool before regarding them. "I was wondering where you two ran off to. It is _your_ party, after all."

Aang was grateful that his need to swallow overpowered his urge to chuckle nervously. "You didn't give off any clues or anything. Did you know about the party from the beginning?"

Gyatso looked insulted. "I know everything."

There was a bit of a twinkling look in the other man's eyes, but Aang ignored that. That was always there. Aang would be _damned_ if he lost this bet to his father.

"But," the old man continued. "I guess that missing your own party is excusable if Toph is practicing feeding her future husband."

Aang slid a hand down his face as Toph chuckled. " _Dad."_

"What?" The twinkling in his eyes seemed to intensify. "You never minded before."

This was true. Aang never did mind before. However, he had also never been worried about growing feelings for Toph and losing a bet that he made with his father regarding those feelings before, either. If he showed that the joke bothered him, he would show that he had grown feelings for Toph, and in turn, lose that bet. He couldn't have that happening.

Toph released a forlorn sigh. "I don't blame him for not wanting to marry me anymore. Why would he want me to be his wife and have all one million point two of his kids-"

"One _million_ point two-?"

"Actually, it was nine-"

"If I can't even look after a kid that's not mine?"

Aang turned to look at her. The frown on her face was fake, but he still didn't like to see it. "That's not true. I'd still marry you."

The faux frown lifted into a smile. A real one. He felt a smile of his own growing.

"Well," Gyatso declared, capturing both of their attention. "I just wanted to find you to tell you that I won't be able to stay for the party."

Aang was glad that his father hadn't asked about the child Toph brought up. She didn't mean to; she always spoke freely in front of Gyatso whether she meant to or not. Aang was especially glad that his father hadn't brought up the talk of marriage. But, he was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to stay. "Why not?"

"I can't tell you, yet," Gyatso began after a moment. "But, when I'm sure of it, I will."

Aang nodded. It was a bit cryptic, but he wouldn't delve deep into it. If his father wanted him to know, he would tell him. "When will you be back?"

"I'll be back in the morning. Toph," he said as he looked to her. "You'll look after him?"

Toph nodded. "I'll keep him safe from harm."

"Not if that harm is Koko."

As she laughed, she took the box from her lap to set it beside her and hopped off of the counter. "Come on," she said as she grabbed his hand and led him out of the kitchen. "Let's party before it's your bedtime."

"I'm older than you."

"Like _that_ ever mattered."

Gyatso watched as they left before walking over to take the cake. As he stuck the box into the freezer, a smile grew onto his face.

The party was a success. Despite Aang previously being thoroughly convinced that everyone wanted nothing to do him, that is. The food was sufficient, Sokka hadn't broken anything or attempted to attack Zuko, Zuko actually smiled, and the neighbors (more than one!) had even threatened to call the police on them if the music wasn't brought down to a respectable volume. The cherry on the top of this whole party cake was the fact that they didn't even have to clean up because Katara made sure that everyone cleaned up after themselves.

Toph was definitely proud of herself. Now, all she had to do was get Katara to leave.

The older woman stood rooted at the front door. "Toph, I'm not so sure about you staying over here with no adult supervision."

Behind her, Zuko snorted. "She's nineteen and Aang just turned twenty. They'll be fine."

Katara sent him a pointed glare and he shrunk. " _You're_ the one who put that idea into my head! Now, I can't get it out!"

"Thanks a lot, _Grapevine_ ," Toph said, prompting him to smack a hand over his face. "And good night, mother."

Katara studied her. "Why are you trying so hard to get me to leave?"

"Because it's late," Toph answered. "But, you're welcome to stay and make sure that Twinkletoes and I don't get an early start on making babies."

" _Toph!"_ Katara and Aang chastised. The latter's tutting could be heard from within the kitchen.

A laugh escaped Toph as she crossed her arms and reclined onto the wall beside her. "You don't need to worry. Not about Aang."

Katara's brows knitted in confusion before they raised. _"Oh!"_ she exclaimed with a giggle. "Right! Not _Aang_ , but K-"

Toph smacked her hands over Katara's mouth while Zuko looked between the two. "If not Aang," he began. "Then, who?"

"No one," Toph responded promptly. Fortunately or unfortunately, she didn't know which, Kahn didn't come to the party, so he was unable to meet Katara. Now that she thought about it, that was pretty fortunate. "Just girl talk. Right, Katara?"

Katara's eyes lit up at the words 'girl talk'. She nodded. "' _Iiiiiiiiiiiiiight_ ," she repeated with a wink, her words muffled by Toph's hands. "'Irl 'alk."

When Toph's lips turned up into a smile, Zuko squinted. Were they _bonding_? By the looks of it, it seemed that they had already bonded. But, since when was Toph _voluntarily_ bonding with Katara? "Girl talk? What girl talk?"

Katara peeled the younger woman's hands from her mouth. "It's a girl thing."

Toph snorted. "He's certainly pretty enough to sit and listen, though."

At that, Zuko made began making his way out. "I'll be waiting in the car."

Katara gave the younger woman a look before she started after Zuko. "Zuko! You don't need to be jealous!"

"I'm not jealous!"

"Oh," Katara groaned before she tossed an excited wave to Toph. "Bye, _girlfriend_ ," she said before running after Zuko.

Toph shook her head when Zuko's face reddened when Katara grabbed his arm. All she had to do was get rid of one and the other would go running after them. And so, without a single batting of her eyes, she shut the door and made her way to the living room, only to see Aang sitting on the couch and in front of the television.

Her heart stopped and she halted a bit in her walk. When did he get there? She knew that he was light on his feet, but geez.

Honestly speaking, considering that dream she had and how quickly her feelings- _fondness!_ Considering how quickly her _fondness_ for Aang was growing, she really shouldn't have agreed to stay the night with him. But, if she declined, then both he and his father would think that something was wrong with her and she didn't want _that_ happening. Besides, she always stayed the night when his father left. Aang never stayed home alone. She didn't know if it was because the house was so big or because he was so into the supernatural, but she never let him stay alone. Even now when she was sure that she _really_ shouldn't be staying in such a big house alone with someone as hot-

No, she was sure that she really shouldn't have been staying in such a big house alone with such a hottie-

Wait, _no_! Toph Beifong was _sure_ that she should _not_ be staying in such a big house alone with her hot best friend-

Goodness, she didn't know if she should be alone with _him_!

With a quiet huff and an inner pep talk, she picked her feet up, made her way to the couch, and sat beside him. When Appa hopped up and onto the couch to lay his head in her lap, she began playing with the fur. "What are we watching?"

_Normally, whenever a sixteen year old boy didn't have anything to do on a Friday evening in the summer, he would go out with his friends to do something. Something other than staying in the house with their father. In fact, this was something that Sokka berated him for earlier this afternoon before leaving with his family for their summer vacation._

"You're so _weird_ ," _Sokka whined childishly._ "If I had this huge house and my father's trust, I would have already thrown the wildest and most epicest party this block has ever seen!"

_Of course, Zuko was quick to respond with:_ "Epicest isn't a word."

_But, Aang was content with staying in the house and helping his father in the kitchen, especially since all of his friends were on vacation or doing something else. Such as going out on dates, which Toph was currently on._

_Aang's nose scrunched up as he cut up the tomatoes. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that. It wasn't the fact that she was on a date that bothered him. Jealousy wasn't his thing. Plus, it was_ Toph _\- his best friend. It was_ who _she went on that date with that bothered him. She was out with an older boy around Zuko's age: Jet._

_Aang had heard some things about Jet, mostly hinting that he was an all around bad boy who had no regard for the law or for people's feelings. Toph had heard those very same things, but course, she was intrigued by the older boy and had taken to hanging out with him. Eventually, he asked her out. Toph was ecstatic and had actually taken to acting like a_ girl. _Her_ _mother squealed all throughout the preparations; Aang was horrified at the sight of a girly Toph._ _Nevertheless, Aang, acting as the proper male best friend, implored Toph not to go out with Jet. Then again, she was never one to be told what to do._

"T., I'm not so sure about you going out with Jet."

There was a pause.

"Are you telling me what to do?"

_That was the end of that conversation and not just because he was afraid of her - honest. He trusted Toph and her judgement, and she could definitely hold her own in a fight - no matter the gender - but, he couldn't push that feeling of uneasiness away._

_"Aang," his father said as he washed a dish, drawing his son from his thoughts. "You're smushing the tomato."_

_Aang blinked before looking at his hands. True enough, the tomato was smushed and there was tomato juice all over his hands and fingers._

_With a chuckle, Gyatso placed the dish aside to finally look at Aang. "I take it that you're still worrying about Toph."_

_Aang shook his hands over the counter, letting the tomato's juices sprinkle it. "I just can't believe that I actually let her go out with him."_

_His father stepped up to him with a small towel. "Toph would never allow you to_ let _her do anything. We both know that." When Aang hesitantly took the towel with a nod, Gyatso reclined onto the counter. "Besides," he began thoughtfully. "Toph is a different breed of woman, wouldn't you agree? If this Jet boy tries anything, he'll probably go missing, give or take a few days."_

_Aang chuckled. "Then, we'll find pieces of his body spread all over the town."_

_"And it'll spell some sort of message out," his father finished. A slight pause. Then, the sucking of teeth and a shake of his head. "Yes, our Toph certainly is a different breed of woman." With that, he took the dish that he cleaned, poured water into it, and placed it onto the stove._

_Another chuckle escaped Aang, albeit a bit louder, before the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," he said before he stepped out of the kitchen and made his way to open the door, only to see Toph. "T.? Come-"_

_Before he could even finish, she stepped inside, but he wasn't surprised. So, he shut the door._ _He watched her suspiciously. She was still a bit dressed up, which meant that she just finished her date. But, what was she doing here? "Did Jet drop you off?"_

_"I took the bus here," she answered immediately. Then, before he could berate her and give her a speech about taking busses late at night, she shook her head. "Don't be mad at me."_

_He blinked. What was going on with her? "Toph, why would I be mad at you?"_

_A tiny squeak escaped her mouth when she opened it to speak. Shifting from foot to foot, she avoided his eyes, before she met them. "Aang, I swear I didn't want to. I swear."_

_Suddenly, he became very aware of how far she stood from him. So, held a hand out for her to take. When she shook her head and actually took a step back, he frowned. Something was wrong. "Toph-"_

_"He made me," she said with a shake of her head, her voice wavering. Then, her breahing grew frantic. "I didn't want to, Aang. I told him to stop, but he wouldn't-he wouldn't listen to me. He just kept going. I swear, I fought, but he was stronger."_

_At her words, his heart stopped. Toph would never lie about this, but she couldn't possibly be saying that-_

_"You believe me, right?"_

_"Of course." The flicker of relief that passed through her eyes made his stomach turn. "Of course, I believe you."_

_They watched each other before she looked down, her breaths still heavy. Aang's eyes widened in realization. This was really happening. But, this was Toph. Things like this didn't happen to her. She was the toughest girl - correction:_ person _he knew._

_Something in Aang stirred up. How was he supposed to console her?_

_Once again, he held his hand out for her to take and she looked up and took another step back, shaking her head a bit nervously. "No."_

_He felt a pang of stupidity. Of course, she wouldn't want to be touched. How insensitive could he be? He resisted the urge to just take her into his arms. "Okay." He held his hands up for her to see. When she visibly relaxed, he felt his stomach turn uncomfortably. Was she afraid of him? "My hands are here."_

_She watched his hands and nodded bit before she swallowed. "Are you mad?"_

_"Not at you." He wasn't used to this quiet and reserved Toph. It bothered him._

_"Aang?"_

_Toph jumped and he looked to see his father standing behind him. Had he been there the whole time?_

_A warm smile lit Gyatso's face up. "Toph, may I ask what you're doing here so late?"_

_Immediately, her eyes left Aang's hands to meet his eyes. "I had to come here. Don't make me go to my house."_

_He didn't miss the fact that she said 'house' instead of 'home'. She never called it home._ _"You're always welcome here," he said. "You know that." Before she could look down again, because he just knew that she would, he spoke. "Go wait for me upstairs. I'll meet you there soon."_

_She didn't hesitate to follow his instructions. And that was what scared him the most. Toph was never one to just do as she was told. There was always an argument or a sneaky comment. She was always the one taking charge and telling people what to do and he was always the compliant one. It felt wrong to have the roles switched._

_Suddenly, he felt the urge to kill. Aang was never one for violence. In fact, he was always the one advocating peaceful disputes. But now, all he wanted to do was wring his hands around Jet's neck. He wanted to hear Jet beg and plead for him to stop so that he could relish in the feeling of sweet irony. He wanted Jet's blood to stain his hands._

_When he heard a door shut, his mind continued to whirl. What was he supposed to do? This was his best friend. This was Toph._

_The sound of the shower running brought him out of his thoughts, reminding him that he still had his hands held out._ _He looked at them, then briefly, he met his father's eyes. "I'll be right back." With that, he stuck a hand out for the doorknob._

_"Wait just one minute, young man," his father called out. "Where do you think you're going?"_

_Aang blinked. Wasn't it obvious? "I'm going to kill Jet."_

_"Oh," Gyatso said. "Well, I can't let you do that. If I let you go, you actually will end up killing him."_

_"That's the point," Aang argued, his grip on the doorknob tightening. "I'm going to find Jet and kill him with my bare hands. Maybe I'll even bring back his still beating heart to Toph as a trophy."_

_Gyatso watched his son for a moment. "Now, as impressed as Toph may be and no matter how angry you are, you cannot go off acting so recklessly. Not now."_

_Aang resisted the urge to yell, simply out of his respect for his father. He felt murderous. "Dad," he began carefully as he released his hold on the doorknob. "What do you expect me to do? Act like he didn't do anything?"_

_"Aang," his father chuckled out incredulously. "You can't just leave her to go murder someone."_

_"Why not?!" he spat out. "She would be_ proud _of me!"_

_Gyatso paused at that. "Although you_ do _have a point-"_

_"Oh, my goodness, dad-"_

_"You listen to me," Gyatso interrupted sternly. "Did you hear what I just told you? I told you that you cannot leave her just to go murder someone. I didn't tell you that just to assert some sort of parental control over you. I told you that because_ you _, Aang, cannot leave_ her _, Toph, just to go murder someone. Don't be selfish and act on your own anger. She came to_ you _. She wouldn't even look at me."_

_Aang started. His father wasn't usually this stern with him, not that he ever had a reason to be. "Dad, don't do that-"_

_"Do what? Tell you the truth? Stop you from being selfish? Very well." So, Gyatso pulled up a chair and sat in it. "Go on. I won't stop you, but I'll be here waiting for you to get back. And if Toph gets tired of waiting for you, I'll be sure to tell her where you are. Don't worry; she's in good hands."_

_The shower stopped._

_"Technically, you_ would _be hurting her even more if you left," he continued casually as he picked at his nails. "You are the one she came to." A pause. "Although, I don't have enough money to bail you out of jail, I don't think you'll be charged severely since you're under eighteen. But, you are best friends with a Beifong. Lucky you."_

_Geez, his father was annoying when he was making a point. However, Aang was glad for that. He looked at the door before he sighed heavily through his nostrils. She did come to him. He couldn't just leave his best friend alone like this. "Fine."_

_"Fine," Gyatso said with a nod before he stood. "I'll call her parents to let them know that she's here."_

_"As if they would care." Before Gyatso could respond, Aang began making his way up the stairs. He needed to go to his best friend. He needed to console her and make her feel better. He just didn't know how. This would have been easier if he was allowed to go and pulverize Jet. That way, he could come back and brag to Toph. That would have put a smile on her face._

_Slowly, he stopped at the door of his bedroom. How was he going to handle this?_

_He knocked on the door and heard a slight breath. His heart stopped. He shut his eyes and rested his forehead on the door. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Not to her. "Toph, it's me. It's Aang."_

_There was a moment of silence and he could picture her nodding. But, he needed to hear her voice. Just to make sure that she was okay. "T., it's just me."_

_There was a pause and he thought that he would just have to stand outside of his bedroom door all night. He would do that for her. Then, he heard a faint, "Fine."_

_Nothing about Toph was ever faint. He shook his head against the door before opening it, stepping into the room, and shutting the door behind him. He saw her standing there in one of his large T-shirts and a pair of sweats, her hair still wet from the shower clinging to her face and her fists clenching and unclenching. She looked so... small. Toph was already physically small, but right then, she looked absolutely tiny. What was he supposed to say?_

_They were quiet for a few moments before she spoke. "I had to take a shower. I felt dirty."_

_"That's fine."_

_"Sorry for not asking."_

_He shook his head when she looked down. She was embarrassed. He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to feel embarrassed in front of him. "You don't need to apologize," he said instead._

_Another pregnant pause filled the room before she shook her head at the ground a bit frantically. "Aang, please," her voice shook. "I didn't want to do it. You have to believe me."_

_What was he supposed to do? He took a step forward and she immediately looked up and took two steps back. She watched him warily. She was afraid of him. That frightened look in her eyes told him that she was. "Toph, it's me. I won't hurt you." How he kept his voice from shaking, he wasn't sure._

_A tear slid down her cheek. He couldn't even remember the last time that he saw Toph cry. "Toph-"_

_With a rough hand, she wiped the tear away. "Aren't you going to tell me that I should've listened to you? That you were right?"_

_His brows knitted together. "No, of course not-"_

_Tears rolled. "Why?" she asked as she frantically wiped her face. "Because you feel bad for me?"_

_What was he supposed to do? "Toph, come on." He took a step forward. "Don't say that-"_

_"Don't tell me what to do!" she demanded as she took a step back and wiped her face with a weak grunt. "Damn it, Aang! Just tell me that I was wrong and that I deserved it!"_

_"I'm not going to tell you any of that stuff because none of it is true!" he said before he could stop himself. "How could anyone deserve that, Toph?"_

_Finally, she met his eyes before hesitating and looking down. "I swear, I told him to stop," she said adamantly. "Please, believe me."_

_He nodded, even though she couldn't see it. "I believe you." He hesitated for a minute before he stepped forward. This time, she didn't back up or shy away. However, she did flinch. They weren't supposed to be experiencing this. He held his hand out. "May I hold your hand?"_

_She didn't respond. In all honesty, he hadn't expected her to. The surprise came when she placed her hand in his. As soon as her hand touched his, a choked sob escaped her. This was probably why she wouldn't let him touch her when they were around his father. She used her other hand to cover her face. She was still hiding from him._

_He tightened his hold on her hand. She didn't need to hide. Not from him._

_"Aang, I told him to stop, but he wouldn't listen to me," she blubbered out. "I didn't want it, I swear. Why would he do that? I thought he liked me."_

_That was when he finally pulled her in for a hug. She didn't resist. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his middle and hid her face in his chest. Her hair, still wet from her shower, was cold and wetting his shirt, but he didn't care. He could distinctly remember how happy she was just a few hours ago. Now, she was a sobbing mess because of the very same person who caused that happiness. He was going to murder him. Aang had never sworn on someone's death before. He believed that all life was precious, after all, this was what his parents taught him. But, Aang would kill for Toph._

_He hugged her closer as she cried and he racked his brain for a solution to her tears. Her mother used to do or say something to calm her down. It had just been so long since he had seen her cry that he forgot what it was._

_"When we were younger, you would always be there to protect me," she cried into his shirt. "Even when I told you to leave me alone, you would always fight for me. How come the one time I called for you, you didn't come?"_

_He froze a bit and she buried her face deeper into his chest. She called his name? He couldn't exactly tell her that he was cooking with his dad. "Toph, I-"_

_"I called for you and you didn't come," she choked out before finally looking up to meet his eyes. "The one time I actually needed you and called for you, you weren't there. It was just this one time. Why weren't you there? Where were you, Aang?"_

_Needless to say, he felt horrible. He observed her tear stained cheeks, red nose, and puffy eyes. She finally stopped hiding her face from him, but he couldn't bear to look at her like that. The sight of tears running down_ _those_ _cheeks, the cheeks of his_ bestfriend _, paired with her cries reverberating off of the walls didn't help much with his guilt. Her crying scared him - not the act of her crying, but the sound of it. It was quiet, and weak, and so clashing against every aspect of her personality, everything that she represented, and everything that represented her that he was glad that she never cried often._

_He resisted the urge to look up for some kind of help. She was being irrational and they both knew it, but he had to comfort and indulge her. What_ _was_ _it that her mother did, again? "I'm sorry. I'm here now. I won't leave you alone, again." He knew that she would denounce all claims of needing him once morning came. But, when she nodded, he also knew that she needed to hear this now. "I'm here now, okay?"_

_She nodded again before hiding her face into his chest and he held her until her cries subsided into not-so-quiet sniffles. He looked at the clock beside his bed. She needed to sleep. Crying all night wouldn't do her any good._

_He took a step back and she immediately tightened her hold on him, keeping him in place. "I'm not leaving," he affirmed. "We need to go to sleep."_

_It took them a minute, but he finally got her to follow him to the bed. Once he sat, he urged her to lay down, but she finally let his hand go to sit cross legged beside him. He decided that it would be better to just follow her lead, so he stayed seated and reclined against the headboard. What_ was _it that her mother did?_

_As he searched his memories, she played with her thumbs before she suddenly looked at him. "I told him to stop. I didn't want it. Do you believe me?"_

_He nodded. She kept repeating those phrases, but he understood. Maybe she was trying to process what happened. So was he. "I believe you."_

_She watched him for a few seconds before she layed on her side and curled up in a ball. He followed suit and laid on his side, as well. She kept her eyes on him as she placed her hand under her ear. "Do you hate me?"_

_He noticed how closely she was watching him, ready to decipher anything he might say or do. Actually, she looked about ready to run. God, he was going to destroy him._

_He shook his head. "I could never hate you."_

_"Why?"_

_"You're my best friend."_

_She didn't respond to that, but they watched each other until she spoke. She hesitated a bit. "It hurt so bad." When his eyes widened a bit, she avoided them._

_He really didn't know how to make her feel better. When her pink nose sniffled and her eyes continue avoid his, he felt his chest ache. This was Toph. Toph was never so weak and vulnerable before. But, this was his best friend and as much as she tried to deny her need for it, he wanted to protect her. How anyone could find pleasure in hurting someone else, Aang would never be able to comprehend. "I was going to go after him."_

_"Why didn't you?"_

_"You need me more." She finally met his eyes. "We can double team him tomorrow." He could have sworn that he saw the corners of her mouth twitch a bit, but it could have just been the lack of light._

_She watched him for a few moments before she shuffled closer to him, allowing him to take her into his arms. She was still noticeably uncomfortable, but at least she let him touch her. This wasn't the first time that they slept together in a bed and he definitely wouldn't mind having her there with him tonight. He actually would have preferred it if she stayed the night with him._

_He felt her hesitating for a bit before she gently pushed him onto his back and moved to settle herself in between his legs. When she laid her head over his heart, he held her close. He didn't mind and she wasn't heavy, anyway. She needed to feel protected from all angles, so he would do that for her._

_"He said that I deserved it because I'm such a tease."_

_As if Aang wasn't already feeling murderous enough. He had to admit that Toph was a bit of a tease. She knew how beautiful she was and she knew how to use it, but that wasn't an excuse to take advantage of her. There was never an excuse to take advantage of anyone like this. "You could never deserve that. No one does. No matter what. Do you understand me?"_

_"But, I-"_

_"But, nothing. You're the victim. How is it your fault?"_

_"He said that I was asking for it."_

_That explained why she kept telling him that she didn't want it and why she kept asking him if he believed her. Jet obviously didn't. He reached over to pull the covers over them. He never slept with covers during the summer, but she did all year round and he would do anything to calm her down at this point. She was probably cold because of her damp hair, anyway._

_He blinked. Her hair. Tentatively, he ran his fingers through her damp hair and he immediately felt her relax. She wasn't as relaxed as he had hoped she would become, like whenever her mother did it, but it was good enough. So, he continued running his fingers through her wet hair and getting them stuck in the tangles. "I'll kill him for you."_

_"You can't even bring yourself to kill an ant," was what she would have normally said. But, things weren't normal anymore. So, she stayed quiet._

_"I'm sorry that I wasn't there," he tried again._

_She remained quiet._

_He knew that she wasn't asleep because she was still tense. He held her closer. "It's not your fault."_

_Still, she remained quiet._

_The silence scared him. Toph wasn't supposed to be this quiet. He sighed and kissed the top of her head. He didn't normally do that, but this called for a kiss on her head. It helped a bit because he heard her breathing lessen in it's heaviness. "I love you, Toph."_

_Slowly but surely, she finally relaxed into his hold. He held back a sigh of relief. That was all she wanted to hear - affirmation that he didn't hate her. What did that jerk do to her? "I love you, Aang."_

_When she buried her face deeper into his chest, he caught his fingers in a knot in her hair. So, he moved to another section. They would take care of her hair in the morning. Right now, he just needed to make sure that she was okay._

_"I'm tired," she said quietly after a moment._

_He could tell. She sounded ready to pass out. "Go to sleep."_

_"Will you be here when I wake up?"_

_He nodded as he held her closer, massaging her scalp with one hand and stroking her back with the other. It was a definite. He was going after Jet. "Yes," he said because he knew that she needed to hear it. "I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."_

_A quiet sigh escaped her before she sniffled. "Aang?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Thanks for being my friend."_

_"Thanks for being mine."_

This was the third time that Aang had woken up under a strange circumstance. Well, the second time considering that one time was in a dream, but that was besides the point. This morning, he woke up with the feeling of being watched. He knew that it wasn't Toph because she was still fast asleep in his arms. It wasn't Appa because the watcher wasn't licking him or panting which meant that the dog was still asleep at Toph's feet.

So, he opened his eyes to see his father watching him from his seat on the coffee table. "Good morning."

A smile lit Gyatso's face up. "Good morning," he said before continuing with a nod. "You look quite comfortable."

Aang didn't glance at Toph. He wouldn't. He couldn't. If he did, he would give himself away and lose that bet. Well, he'd already lost it, but he couldn't let his father know it. "I am."

"I take it that you had a good birthday."

"I did."

"Well, obviously. I mean, you are snuggled quite comfortably with a pretty girl the morning after."

Aang didn't respond then. Any answer given could and would be used against him, revealing his true feelings for the woman in his arms and thus, causing him to lose the bet.

Gyatso's smile grew a bit mirthful. It was obvious where Aang got his Peter Pan complex from. "You know," he said after a moment, his smile grew nostalgic. "She always did remind me of your mother."

The urge to look at her was much too strong. Nevertheless, his brow jumped. "Really?"

Gyatso nodded as-a-matter-of-factly. "Yes, they're both a bit too headstrong for their own good."

Aang bit back a laugh, though he did smile. "I noticed that a while ago."

"Your mother always thought that she would be a good lesson for you."

That caused the laugh to escape simply because it was true and she'd done her job. In his arms, Toph made a sound of discomfort.

Aang let out a breath when she fell back asleep. This wasn't the first time that they slept in this position but, his feelings for her were strictly platonic during those other times. Quite frankly, he wasn't even sure how he made it through the night like this. It was then that he finally realized that he had given in and was watching the top of her head. He had actually been _staring_ at her unabashedly for a while now.

So, as calmly as he could and with a swallow, he looked up to meet his father's eyes. There was a bit of a knowing look in his eyes.

There was a pause.

"You've been talking to Iroh, haven't you?"

"Iroh and I are such good friends."

"You've _got_ to be kidding me."

"Yes, well," Gyatso sighed out. "I did tell you that I know everything, didn't I?"

"Dad, I was _ten_."

"I also taught you to honor all wagers, didn't I?"

A sigh. "Yes, dad."

"The next time I see you two in this position, you better be romantically involved."

"Yes, dad."

"I'll be taking you to get that tattoo later on."

"Yes, dad."

"Happy birthday, Aang."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks." He froze when Toph made another sound.

That was Gyatso's cue. So, he stood, placed a kiss onto his son's head and dodged the the swatting of his hand before making his way into the kitchen.

"Aang?" he heard her say as he opened the freezer. They hadn't touched the cake. Perhaps they were hoping to eat it for breakfast? He wouldn't put it past them. "I thought I heard another voice."

"My dad. He just went into the kitchen."

"Oh," she said before yawning and releasing a short groan. "Time is it?"

"Eight."

"Can you take me to school today? I came with Katara yesterday."

"Yeah, of course. How many classes do you have today?"

"Two. Why?"

Gyatso could practically feel his son's hesitancy from his spot in the kitchen. "I was just checking to see if my schedule would permit me to pick you up or not."

"It's fine. I'll take the bus. You're the one who said that I needed to learn. I shouldn't waste your lessons, right?"

Aang chuckled. "One of the few times you actually let me tell you what to do."

A quiet snort. "Whatever."

There was a pleasant pause that passed and Gyatso thought that they had fallen asleep. He checked the time to see what time would be proper for him to wake them up before Aang finally spoke.

"I'll pick you up."

Gyatso decided that Aang was a goner when he began asking what time her class would end. He pitied his son a bit, but the feelings of pity were drowned out by pride because _he_ won the bet.


	19. Chapter 19

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Nineteen

.

"A kiss seals two souls for a moment in time."

― Levende Waters

.

Today, after so many setbacks, Toph and Aang were finally going to have a meeting for _Operation: Zutara_. Initially, it was Zuko and Katara's stubbornness that was hindering the operation, but at the rate that she and Aang were going, the lack of meetings could be to blame. However, judging from the huge crowd bustling at the teashop's front doors, the meeting might have to be postponed. Again.

When the crowd actually began to accumulate more and more people, Toph's brows knitted as she approached them. One would think that people would choose to stay inside rather than to stand outside of some double doors when the temperature was starting to drop. What was going on? If this was what the front looked like, she could only imagine what it looked like inside.

Well, Toph was always the brave one. Plus, she was small. At that, she began slipping through the crowd and made her way inside. Like hell she was going to tell Aang about this. It would only give him more ammunition about her size.

"Toph!" It was Aang. He sounded... _Relieved?_ What was _happening_? "Toph, thank goodness you're here! We need another pair of hands!"

He must have seen her walk in. Hell, she couldn't even see around the crowd, much less over it, but she could definitely hear him. "Aang!" She continued to push her way through to the front. At least, she thought that the front was this way. "What's going on?! Why are all of these people here?!"

In an apron, Katara was making her way through the crowd with a tray full of tea cups and sandwiches raised above her head. Behind her, Zuko followed in an apron of his own. "Apparently," he began as he took the tray from Katara. "That little modification he's made is good for business. Did you talk him into it?"

Toph opened her mouth just to tell him that she didn't know what the hell he was going on about. Then, Katara interrupted as she took a few tea cups from the tray. "No, he said that she didn't, remember?"

Zuko shrugged. "Just seemed like her style." At that, he began pushing through the crowd to make his delivery.

"I think it looks pretty good, too," Katara said before she followed after Zuko.

It was definitely safe to say that Toph was thoroughly confused. What could have Aang done? What modification was Zuko talking about? And why was it attracting so many women?

A man squealed as he made his way from the front with a friend. "He touched my finger when he took my money! I mean, it was totally an accident, but I _definitely_ felt that _spark_!"

Correction: _people_. Why was it attracting so many _people_?

A group of women squealed before Toph looked just in time to see one of them faint.

And when the hell did Aang turn into Michael Jackson?! That was it. Forget being polite, Toph needed to see _what_ _ever_ this was for herself. "Move!" At that, she began shoving those who stood in her way aside, ignoring their complaints. It took her a minute (literally), but she finally made her way to the front and-

Her jaw dropped.

Ho. Ly.

_Now_ , she saw what all the commotion was about. Aang had a tattoo on his arm. A really nice one. A really _hot_ one. As if she wasn't already having problems dealing with how hot he'd suddenly become, that tattoo was going to make it all worse. Actually, it was _already_ making this worse, especially when it was on his shooting arm. Hot _damn_ , her mind was already reeling with images of him on the court, dribbling in slow motion right before he went up for a jump shot-

"Toph!"

She clamped her jaw shut and met his eyes. Thank goodness he was too busy to notice her gawking at him. Now, she could check her mouth to see if she was salivating.

"Thank goodness you're here!" he exclaimed as he rushed to work the register.

Toph was thanking the goodness that she was here, too. She was thanking every single last one of the goodnesses that she was here to witness this piece of art (and that she wasn't drooling). By now, even _she_ wasn't sure if she was talking about his arm or just him. No wonder all of those people were going crazy. "So you've said before. Since when were you into body art?"

"Thank you, have a nice day." With a snort, he finally met her eyes. "Since I lost a bet."

A brow of hers jumped. "What was the bet?" And who did she have to thank for _that_? Who knew that something so minuscule could make such a difference?

"Excuse me?" a man interrupted with a glare directed to Toph. "You're distracting him from taking my order. _Who_ the hell are _you_?"

Toph nearly lost it right then and there. "He's straight!"

"Oh, my- _Toph!"_

"Unless you've got something to tell me!"

Aang shook his head with a sigh before he held a hand out for her to take. "She's with me."

Toph smiled at the drop of the man's face. " _I'm_ with him." At that, she took his hand and allowed him to hike her over the counter. No matter how small she was, there was no way that she would have been able to make it to the other side and to the door in time with the crowd that they were facing. It was a miracle that he'd even lasted this long without her.

Plus, she _really_ just wanted him to hike her over the counter with that arm.

As soon as she was over the counter, she took his place in front of the register and he moved to begin helping with the tea making. In sync; they always were. "Thank you," she said as she took that man's money. She couldn't help the surge of pride that ran through her at the glare he gave. "Have a nice day," she finished with a smile.

With a roll of his eyes, the man took his drink and turned to walk away. He took his phone out and held it over his ear. "He's straight. I think his girlfriend's working the counter, but at least she's not ugly."

Toph's smile grew as Aang set three tea cups onto the counter. "I thought that you would have learned to control your temper by now," he said.

Her face fell when a fully grown and fully bearded man whooped. "I thought that you would have learned to control your harem by now."

_"Toph!"_ At that and with a shake of his head, he made his way back to the tea maker.

Her eyes followed him. Actually, her eyes followed his arm. Quickly, she shook that off and turned her attention back to the customers. "Who did you lose this bet to?"

"My dad."

"You lost a _bet_ to Baldy Number One?"

"Oh, my _goodness,_ Toph

"Thank you, have a nice day." She could practically feel his eyes rolling and it had nothing to do with their best friend telepathy. "You still didn't tell me what that bet was."

"I don't want to tell you."

"Why not?"

"It's embarrassing."

No, 'embarrassing' was her feeling like an _animal in heat_ because of that tattoo. "What's so embarrassing about it?"

He glanced at her. "Truth?"

"Thank you, have a nice day." Then, she nodded. "Truth."

"I don't think that you'd like the specifics of this bet."

She looked at him. Goodness, that tattoo sure was gorgeous. She highly doubted that she would have a problem with the bet, much less the specifics of it, but he was sure of it. "Why do you think that?"

"We share a brain." He began passing the tea into the crowd. "Thank you, have a nice day- _Woah!"_ Swiftly, he retracted his hand when a woman tried to grab it.

Toph laughed at his red face when the women squealed, encouraging the one who went after him. He was never really good with getting attention from women and that just egged them on. If you asked Toph, it was just waste of good looks. "They all seem to like it."

He was the picture of exasperation as he ran a hand down his face. "They're like animals, T. They-they treat me like I'm a piece of meat. A few people asked for my shirt and I'm pretty sure that there's a table in the back betting on who's going to take me home tonight."

Like hell. "I'll protect you." When the corners of his mouth quirked up and he made his way back to the tea maker, she caught another look at his arm and her stomach turned a bit. Quite honestly, she didn't blame any of them - she couldn't. "I like it, too."

He looked at her and found her working the register. His smile grew. "Thanks. Me, too."

"I'm sure Iroh loves it," she said as she completed a transaction. "Thank you, have a nice day." When Aang placed three more cups onto the counter, she continued. "Look at you." Yes, _look_ at _him_. "Not only are you bringing in both men and women, but you're also attracting people of every race, ethnic background, religion, social class and political affiliation. You've started a revolution with that arm."

_"Toph!"_

In an apron, Sokka pushed through the crowd as he approached the counter before he began filling his tray up. "With all of the money this place made today, I better get reimbursed."

Behind him and in an apron of her own, Suki placed her tray onto the counter. "I don't mind if I don't get reimbursed monetarily," she said as she leaned onto the counter and placed her chin into her hand to watch Aang. "Having _Aangy_ as eye candy is payment enough."

"Shh," Aang shushed her as he placed tea cups and sandwiches onto her tray. "Not now, sugar. We wouldn't want Sokka to get jealous, would we?"

" _Excuse_ me?!" Sokka screeched, emitting a single groan that rippled through the crowd and to the people working in the back. "We?! Sugar?! Not _now_?!"

"Thank you, have a nice day," Toph and Aang said together.

Before Sokka could continue in his screeching, Suki rolled her eyes before she kissed his cheek. "I was kidding," she said as she took her tray. "Partly." With a final wink at Aang, she made her way through the crowd. "Coming through!"

Sokka's jaw dropped before he turned to Aang. "Stay away from my girlfriend, pretty boy." He grabbed his tray and pushed through the crowd. "Coming the _hell_ through!"

Suki's laughter was heard.

A bit contemplatively, Aang made his way back to the tea maker. "Pretty boy's a new one."

And it fit him much better than 'Twinkletoes'. Although, Toph wasn't too sure that _pretty_ was the correct term. Not with that tattoo. Or those arms. Or that jawline. Thankfully, this was when she heard her name being called. "Who's calling me?"

"Only someone gifted with superhuman hearing could hear their name being called in this ruckus," Aang said.

Soon enough, Kahn himself was making his way to the counter. Toph smiled. His dimples were the best, like a breath of fresh air. "Dimples!"

Behind her, Aang rolled his eyes.

Although he looked worried, Kahn's smile grew and so did his dimples. "Toph, Peter Pan-"

"For the billionth time, his name is _Aang_ -"

"What's going on here?"

Toph jabbed a thumb in Aang's direction. " _Peter Pan's_ turned into hot stuff."

"His name is _Aang_ , T."

Behind her, Aang actually paused in his tea making and turned to look at Kahn.

"I mean, _Toph_. His name is Aang, _Toph_." Before she could ask why he corrected himself, Kahn continued. "I'm sorry for missing your party, Aang. I saw the pictures online and it looked like fun."

"It's fine," Aang replied as he placed three more cups onto the counter. "I didn't even notice that you weren't there."

Toph paused at the register to send him a pointed glare.

"But, I'm sure that it would have been better with you there," he said with a smile before she could chastise him as he placed an arm around her shoulders. He didn't mean it and he knew that she knew it. Nevertheless, he continued. "And what do you mean I've turned into hot stuff? I like to think that I've always been hot stuff."

It was safe to say that he sure was acting like he was hot stuff. That tattoo was already starting to have an effect on him - and unfortunately for Toph, it was _so_ _hot_. She swallowed the sigh down at the feeling of his strong arm around her (the one with the _tattoo_ ) because she could _feel_ the jealous glares. "Compared to your last patron count," she said as she began a transaction. "You were obviously butt ugly before."

"Oh, my- _Toph!"_

"Thank you," she said as she completed the transaction. "Have a nice day."

Kahn laughed when Aang returned to the tea maker with a shake of his head. "Do you guys need any more help?"

Before Aang could decline his offer, despite their obvious need for help, a groan was heard before Azula came through the back door with an apron on and began helping Aang with the tea. "Just hop over the counter."

"Yeah," Toph said once he made his way over. "You can help me with the register."

Azula didn't miss Aang roll his eyes.

A woman squealed. "Look, everyone! There's _two_ of them!" she declared.

"This one's got _dimples_!" an overjoyed man said in a screech that rivaled Sokka's and spawned an outcry of joy.

This time, Azula did miss Kahn's glance at her direction. Toph didn't.

_"What was_ that

_"I- I think that they were trying to eat each other's faces."_

_"There's plenty of food here!"_

_True to_ _Toph's_ _word, there was plenty of food around them. Their small sizes just multiplied_ the _quantity of_ _food around them in the grocery store. She wanted to say that she was at the grocery store with_ _Aang_ _and his mother because she had appointed herself as watch over the older woman because_ _of all of the_ _weight she'd lost, but she knew that it was because she wanted the experience. At nine years old, she'd never gone to a grocery store with her parents before - her family had people to do that and she couldn't go with_ them _. But, she would never admit_ that _, not because she knew that it would just never happen with her parents, but because she'd already developed that Beifong pride. Plus, Aang's mother really did look like she needed to eat. Toph_ loved _to eat. Obviously, she was_ perfect _for grocery shopping._

_"T., it's okay," Aang attempted to calm her with a hand over his heart. It wasn't working because he wasn't doing any better than she was. "Adults are just weird."_

_She snorted. "They're stupid. That's what they are."_

_In front of them, Aang's mother stopped pushing the cart and looked to them. "Hey, if you're using a word that strong, I'd like to know what you two are speaking about."_

_Aang shook his head with a sigh as he tugged at his brown hair. He looked like he was going through a midlife crisis. "Mom, it was_ horrible _. Toph and I, we just saw the scariest thing._

_Toph nodded as she fed off of his frenzy. "I think- I think I'm going to have nightmares!"_

_"For_ two _weeks!"_

_"Two weeks_ straight

_Aang's mother looked around suspiciously. What could they have possibly seen in a grocery store that scared them both so badly? She looked back to them to see Aang still tugging at his hair and Toph with her eyes wide open. "Hey," she said as she released her hold on her shopping cart to crouch down in front of them. Her brows knitted. "What happened?"_

_"It was disgusting!" Toph began in a screech. A man pushing a cart into their aisle jumped._

_"It was_ horrible _!" Aang repeated._

_"There were two people!"_

Two _, mom!"_

_"And they were just- just_ eating _each other's faces!"_

_"Look at all of the_ food _in here, mom!"_

_"And everyone just_ ignored _them!"_

_"Eating faces isn't_ normal _, mom!"_

_By now, his mother's mouth was twitching a bit and a smile was fighting to come out. She cleared her throat. "Toph, Aang, they weren't eating each other's faces. They were_ kissing

_Toph's face fell. Talk about a culture shock. "_ That _was a_ kiss

_Beside her, Aang began pacing and shaking his head as he raised his hands up to the sky in preparation for prayer. "But, you and dad don't kiss like that!"_

_Before Aang could actually begin praying, his mother grabbed his arm before he could walk into somebody. Her smile broke through with a chuckle. "There are different ways to kiss. The kiss that you saw was pretty intense, huh?"_

_Toph released a heavy sigh. She was just glad to know that those freaks weren't eating each other's faces. "_ That's _an understatement."_

_His mother laughed. "They weren't stupid, just in love."_

_Aang, who'd finally managed to refrain from praying aloud calmed down, save for his shifting from foot to foot, raised a brow. "You and dad are in love, right? You don't kiss like that."_

_Toph looked to him with knitted brows. "I bet they do it in secret!"_

_His eyes widened. "Do you?!"_

_His mother grabbed his arm before he could begin pacing. She bit back a grin. "There are different ways to show love. I love you both," she said and Toph felt her stomach turn because her parents weren't too keen on saying that. They weren't even_ around _to do that, but she was hearing it from her best friend's mother in a grocery store. "I never try to eat your faces, do I?"_

_"Aha!" Aang declared, startling one of the shoppers in their aisle. "So, it_ is _face eating!"_

_His mother released an exasperated sigh before placing a kiss to his forehead. "It's not face eating." Then, she placed a kiss to Toph's forehead. "They're not stupid." She stood and waved a finger. "Now,_ both _of you relax." At that, she took her cart and resumed shopping._

_Hesitantly, the two children followed after her before Aang lightly elbowed his best friend. When Toph looked to him, he whispered, "What do you think it's like?"_

_Her brows furrowed. "Kissing?" she whispered back. When he nodded, her face contorted in a look of disgust as she cringed. "I bet it's nasty. I don't know how people do it!"_

_Aang stifled a laugh with his hand. "I don't know. My mom and dad do it. Don't yours?"_

_"Who knows?" she asked with a shrug. "Married people are weird."_

_"But, you're supposed to marry me."_

_"No,_ you're _supposed to marry_ me _," she corrected. "And I don't think I want to get married anymore if I have to do_ that

_Finally, his laugh escaped. "Same here!"_

_At that, they continued following behind his mother in silence before they saw the face eating couple right around the corner. They looked... happy. And their lips and faces were both entirely intact. Maybe face eatin-_ kissing _wasn't so bad._

_Both children looked to each other._

_"Wanna try it?" they both whispered to each other before they both nodded and continued with a whispered, "Yeah, me too!"_

_Quickly, they looked around to check if anyone was watching. When they were both completely sure that they had their privacy (in a grocery store, no less), they both leaned in to place their lips on the other's. Three seconds passed before they pulled away._

_Toph's face fell. "That sucked."_

_Aang scoffed. "Same here."_

_At that, they continued following after his mother and helped her choose the food._

The teashop was empty, a startling difference compared to how busy it was just a few moments ago. All of the workers, whether they were paid or volunteers for the day, were exhausted and sitting at a table or laying on the floor because they didn't have the strength to get to a table.

Iroh, however, was chipper as ever. This chipper-ness may or may not have to do with the fact that he had been hiding out in the back room the entire time. "Good work, everyone," he complimented as he stepped over a worker. "It was tough, but we made it through!"

Azula's face contorted in a look of disgust. "Did he- did he just say _'we_ '?!" she spat out. " _You_ did _nothing_ , Uncle!"

At the moment, verifying that fact wasn't important. Not to Iroh and that was obvious to Toph. She shook her head as she looked to Kahn. "Thanks for helping out, Dimples."

Beside her, Aang dropped his head into his crossed arms on the table.

This was the proper distraction from the death glares his niece was sending his way. So, in turn, Iroh sent Kahn a kind smile. "Yes, thank you, young man. May I ask what your name is?"

"Of course," Kahn replied with a smile of his own. No one noticed Aang shaking his head into his arms. "My name is Kahn."

That knocked the sleep right out of Katara. Sitting two tables away with Zuko, she looked away from him to look to Kahn. "Your name is _Kahn_? _You're Kahn_?"

Slowly, Kahn nodded. "Yes, that's me."

With a gasp, she grabbed Zuko's arm, oblivious the the worried looks she received. "Zuko," she whispered a bit too loudly to be considered as a whisper. "Zuko, that's _Kahn_!"

To say that Zuko looked confused was an understatement. "Who's Kahn-"

Before Zuko could say anything else, she looked to Toph. "He _is_ cute-!"

"Okay!" Toph interrupted as she stood. That was enough out of Katara. "Come on, Dimples. I'll walk you out."

"Oh, no," Katara said with a shake of her head. "You can't go alone."

Before Toph could disagree, Aang sat up. "I agree. I'll walk you-"

"Say _goodbye_ Dimples," Toph ordered as she grabbed Kahn by the arm and began pulling him up. With a scoff, Aang hid his face back into his arms.

Kahn waved as Toph began leading him out. "Bye, everyone! It was nice working with you all-!"

"Good _night_ , Kahn," Aang interrupted the young man, his voice muffled by his arms.

At that, Toph led him out of the teashop as she ignored Katara's motherly looks. Once they made it out and through the doors, she suddenly remembered that although it was warm in the shop, it didn't mean that it was warm outside. She resisted the urge to hug herself. "Sorry about Aang. He's protective."

Standing across from her, Kahn nodded with a good natured nod. "It's no problem. I understand. I'm still his biggest fan." Then, he scratched his hair. "But, what was that girl going on about? I don't think that I've ever met her before, but she seemed pretty excited to meet me."

Toph wouldn't feel right lying to him. He reminded her too much of Tom Tom. "Her name is Katara. She thinks that I like you."

Kahn's face fell a bit. "Huh?" He chuckled a bit nervously before he began rambling. "It's not that I don't think that you're cute, because you totally are, it's just that we just met and you're Peter Pan's best friend and I'm _pretty_ sure that he would bash my head in if I returned the feelings, so it's best for both of us, _mostly_ _me_ , if we just ignore our feelings and _not_ tell _Aang_ about this ever-!"

Her laugh interrupted him. Holy hell, she needed to get Tom Tom together with this guy. "I said that she _thinks_ that I have a crush on you."

He started a bit. "Oh. Well, why would she think that?"

"Because that's what I want her to think." She had to admit that the look of confusion on his face was cute, but she couldn't just leave him hanging like that. She sighed. "I only told her that I had a crush on you because I can't tell her who I really have a crush on."

"So," he began tentatively. "You _do_ have a crush on someone? Just not me."

She nodded.

He released a breath of relief. "Thank goodness. Peter Pan-"

"His name is _Aang_ -"

"He would _kill_ me!" he finished with a laugh.

The laugh seemed contagious as it reached Toph simply because it was true. Judging from Aang's behavior, it was quite obvious that he didn't like Kahn very much. If he and Toph became an item, Aang would go after him.

Kahn grabbed his stomach as his laughter faded. "I'm just fine with being a decoy."

It wasn't like he would have much of a choice, but it was good to have his blessings. Toph smiled. "Thanks. You're pretty cool, Dimples."

"So." A pause. "Who's this crush?"

"You're not _that_ cool, Dimples."

He shrugged with a sigh. "I tried."

Her smile grew before she pointed a finger at him. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this. Not even Aang." _Especially not him,_ she kept herself from saying.

"Of course," he said with a smile and his dimples grew. "You should get inside. It's pretty cold." He began backing away. "And Aang's looking at me. See you later, Toph."

Another bout of laughter escaped Toph as she watched him hurry to his car. "See you later, Dimples," she called out before heading back into the teashop to see people cleaning up. She walked back to her seat beside Aang. "I thought that you were offering me the bodyguard position."

"I thought that we agreed that this would only happen if you turn ugly aga-" He dodged her punch with an impish grin and held his hand out. "My game's tomorrow and my nails are naked."

She gave him a look before rolling her eyes. That boyish grin was a bit too effective paired with that tattoo and her feeli- _fondness_. "I don't carry nail polish around with me."

A worker by the name of Ming-Lee overheard. "I do!" she said as she dropped the broom she had been using and rushed off to grab her purse. She made her way back to them, digging through her purse as she did so before taking out two bottles. "Aha! I've got black and yellow. Which do you want?"

Toph looked to Aang. "I'm not the one getting my nails done."

Aang tapped his chin as he studied the colors. "Now, while the color yellow speaks volumes to my soul-"

Toph rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. "Here we go."

"I think that black would be the proper color since I'm going to be _dominating._ " A pause. "Not that I _wouldn't_ be able to dominate with _yellow_."

Toph clapped her hands over her face. This was her best friend. Even worse, this was who she had a crush on.

"But, black matches my tattoo."

"Come on, princess."

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" At that, he held his hand out. "Black, please."

"Excellent choice," Ming-Lee said with a smile.

Toph placed her hands onto the table to find Ming-Lee walking off and Aang holding the polish in his hand. When he handed it to her, she took it and he laid his hand flat on the table in front of her. Hell, she was painting the _pretty_ arm. She took in a breath as she watched it. "So," she began as she shook the bottle. "This bet."

"I already told you that I can't tell you."

" _Can't?"_

"Can't."

"Come on, I don't think that I'll be mad about it. Did it have anything to do with me?"

He hesitated when she began painting. "My father and I made this bet when I was ten. I never told you because I didn't think that I would need to." When she nodded, he continued. "We bet each other that if something were to happen, I would get the tattoo and if it didn't happen, he would have to get it."

"So, this thing happened?"

"This thing happened."

"Wow," she snorted. "You must have been pretty sure that _whatever_ this was wasn't going to happen if you bet your arm."

Aang shrugged with a chuckle. "He thought that it was inevitable and I disagreed. Now that I look back on it, this was pretty inevitable."

Toph blew on a finger. "I don't think that it's very fair that your coworkers have to clean while you get all prettied up."

He resisted the urge to swallow when she looked up to meet his eyes. "You're not a very good influence."

"You're the one who sacrificed his body for a bet," she retorted before she resumed painting. "What happened that was so inevitable?"

As he hesitated with his answer, he looked around to see people cleaning. A couple of them fake cleaning, Zuko and Katara in a corner speaking in hushed tones, and Azula sleeping on a counter as someone wiped around her. His lips turned up into a smile at the sight before he looked back to Toph and was met with the top of her bun. "I'll make you a bet."

"Bets aren't exactly your thing."

"There's another part to the bet that I made with my father," he continued undeterred as he watched the brush gliding down his nail. "Since the inevitable did happen, there's something that I have to do."

"Okay. What's that?"

"I have to pursue it."

She stopped in her painting to look up and meet his eyes. She didn't notice his breath hitching at his throat. "You have to _pursue_ the _inevitable_?" When he nodded, her brows knitted as she thought. "Adjective, but a noun in the way you're using it. Certain to happen; unavoidable."

His smile softened. "That's the definition?"

"New Oxford American Dictionary definition," she clarified before finally returning to his nails. "What's our bet?"

"If I manage to pursue and obtain the inevitable," he began. "I'll tell you what the bet is about."

"Hmm," she hummed as she cleaned up a finger that had smudged paint on it. "Sounds like it'll be pretty tough if you're trying to _obtain_ the _inevitable_."

He scoffed with a shake of his head. "Tell me about it."

She chuckled a bit and met his eyes. "All done." She watched him inspect his nails. "Do you need help pursuing it?"

Their eyes met and he shook his head again. "No. This has to be a solo thing." Then, he held his free hand out. "Bet?"

She took his hand. "Bet. You think you'll win this?"

A smile grew. "I'm hoping." At that, he released her hand went back to inspecting his nails. "Do you think I'll win?"

"I don't care," she replied with a shrug. "Either way, I'm winning since you'll be telling me anyway. I just want to see how long it'll take you to obtain this ' _inevitable_ '."

He laughed.


	20. Chapter 20

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Twenty

.

"I'm a rubbish flirt."

― Dawn French

.

Aang didn't hate Kahn. After all, to hate is to kill a brother and although Kahn wasn't his brother, he didn't want him to _die_. However, although Aang didn't hate Kahn, he certainly did _not_ like him at all and he was pretty sure that this was quite obvious. In fact, he was so sure of this obviousness that he was even _more_ sure that Kahn knew this. Toph sure did.

And she was the reason behind his strong dislike for Kahn.

Not that she knew it.

And he wouldn't let her find out.

Had Aang not developed this crush on her, he and Kahn would have gotten along just fine. Kahn was funny and he had an awesome personality. He knew that Kahn didn't hold any romantic feelings for Toph and that she didn't hold any for him, but Aang couldn't help it - he was letting her paint his nails because he liked how soft her hands felt, for goodness' sake. He was jealous, extremely so, and seeing her so comfortable around Kahn didn't do anything to ease his jealousy or his dislike. If anything, it made it all worse.

Toph was his best friend, but even he could admit that she was a bit difficult, especially when it came to romance. She knew that she was beautiful, so complimenting her on her beauty would never work. She also knew how brilliant she was, so that was out of the question. Even if she wasn't beautiful, smart, or either (both of which she was), he didn't want her to think that this was all he appreciated about her. After all, she was his best friend and he, of all people, knew that she had so much more to offer, but he couldn't just up and tell her. He didn't want to scare her away.

But he did want to catch her off-guard.

As a result, Aang was forced to follow _Kahn's_ advice... And _flirt_.

The cheering emanating from the crowd that surrounded him was deafening, but of course, it didn't distract him from looking out into the crowd and searching for her. He found her in her regular seat, the third row on the left side of the gymnasium. Beside her, Katara sat in between her and Kahn. The older woman seemed to be interrogating him and Toph looked all too amused. Aang could feel a smile sliding onto his face as he watched her-

"Hey, pretty boy. Nice nails."

Aang started a bit and turned to Bumi crouching across from him. He looked at his nails. "Oh, you like them?"

"I called you 'pretty', didn't I?"

Aang grinned. They were getting ready to start the game and were about to do a jump ball. He crouched to match the other man's position. "Bumi," he greeted as he held his hand out. "It's good to see you again."

Bumi slapped his hand. "Are you ready to get your butt kicked?"

Aang laughed. This was why he liked Bumi. This wasn't the first time that their teams had played each other and each time they met, Bumi never faked good sportsmanship and was always straight to the point. If he didn't like someone, he would never fake a smile for them and best of all, he never went easy on any of his opponents regardless of if he liked them or not. "I know you are. I've got my good luck charm, as always. You've just got crazy hair."

Bumi cackled and a few people looked to him worriedly. His teammates looked like they were used to their captain's laughter except for one boy sitting on the bench. He must have been a freshman. "Good luck charm? Who? That Beifong girl? You might have beat us that last game-"

"And all of the others before-"

"But you won't beat us todaaaay!" Bumi sang as he waggled a finger. " _I've_ been working on a _new_ move."

Aang cast a glimpse toward Toph and caught her laughing at Kahn's red face. With a smile and a shrug, he looked to Bumi. "New move or not, you're still going to lose."

Mischief danced in Bumi's eyes. "I'll make you a bet," he began and Aang was tempted to back out right then and there. "If we lose, I'll sit out for the next three games. If you lose, you'll have to do it."

Aang hesitated. "If either of us misses three games, we'll be out of the running for the MVP title."

Bumi cackled again, cradling his stomach as he did so. "I know! That makes the bet _that_ much more interesting. Doesn't it?!"

Not only did Bumi never fake good sportsmanship, but he was also _crazy_. Aang didn't know how he always managed to forget this crucial fact. Quite frankly, he'd had enough of bets, but he just _couldn't_ resist bets. He never could, even as a child, and he couldn't back out of this one.

He resisted the urge to look to Toph when Bumi held a hand out. "Bet?" the other man asked.

Without a second thought, he slapped Bumi's hand. "Bet."

Bumi grinned. "Let's see where that 'good luck' is today."

The referee blew the whistle, he threw the ball up, and Aang and Bumi went for it.

Toph really shouldn't have been watching Aang like this. He was her best friend and had been so for the past sixteen years, for goodness' sake.

But _hell_.

Toph had eyes and both of them were fully functioning and allowing her to watch him, so she was _going_ to _watch_. She was going to watch him run up and down that court. She was going to watch those muscles on his arms and legs flexing every time he shot the ball. She was _definitely_ going to watch that tattoo on his arm.

In all of her watching, she barely registered the buzzer sound for the end of the first half. Now, she was still watching, but was in a daze as Aang was making way over to her. He seemed to be running in slow motion and impossible as it seemed, he looked even hotter as he was running up to her than he did on the court, especially with the sweat gliding down his face and that fresh tattoo on his-

"Want to hear a story?"

She blinked at his boyish grin. How did he get there so quickly? Yes, he was a basketball player and he was fast, but she was pretty sure that he had just been running up to her in slow motion. But she shook that off. This was her best friend that she was fantasizing- _hallucinating_. This was her best friend that she was _hallucinating_ about. "Sure."

"Long ago, in a land far, far away-"

"Seriously?" He ran up to her in hot slow motion so that he could tell her a story?

His brows knitted. "Once upon a time?"

"Not the beginning, you bald headed idiot!"

"Just make up your mind, you indecisive midget!"

A few people looked to them, but she ignored them all. However hot he was, he did a pretty good job at taking away from it. That was when she remembered that he was her best friend. She needed to stop thinking about him like this. So, she took in a slow breath and looked to the clock. They had about ten minutes before the second half would begin which meant that in Aang's head, they had more than enough time for a story. She might as well just give this time to him. Besides, he was a pretty good story teller. "I liked the first one better."

"Good, me too." At that, he began his story with a smile fit for a storybook narrator. "Long ago, in a land far, far away lived a young man by the name of Handsome Aang. Handsome Aang lived a good and simple life. He went to a good school, worked at a profitable tea shop, and had a best friend named Midget Toph."

"No."

"The Midget Formally Known as Toph."

" _No_ , Aang."

"Little Toph."

She released a heavy sigh because she knew that this was the best one she would get. So, she ignored how cute his impish look was and nodded.

"Handsome Aang had a best friend named Little Toph," he continued. "They had been best friends since he was four years old and she was three. Together, they wreaked havoc and mayhem on anyone who dared to crossed their paths. They went through everything together."

Toph smiled.

"But," Aang began with a finger in the air. "However awesome Handsome Aang's life was, there were still certain trials and tribulations that he had to endure. What were these trials and tribulations?" he asked before she could open her mouth. "Crazy Boomer."

There was a pause.

He pouted a bit. "Aren't you going to ask who Crazy Boomer was?"

To be quite honest, she was a bit distracted by how adorable that pout was. But she digressed. "Who was Crazy Boomer?"

"Why, I'm glad that you asked," he said with a chirp. "You see, Handsome Aang was one of the star players on his kingdom's basketball team-"

"I'm pretty sure that 'basketball' isn't what they called it back then."

He placed a hand over his heart. "Everything I tell you is all according to the folklore that was told by my ancestors and passed down to each generation, and finally to me," he said seriously. Although, the mirth twinkling in his eyes took away from it. "Now, Handsome Aang was special and had a very different playing style from others. He liked to sing, dance, and tell stories and riddles to his rivals."

"I bet they gave him a cutesy nickname."

"They did." When Toph smiled a bit, Aang continued. "Because Handsome Aang had such a strange playing style, many of his rivals sought to ensnare and capture him. But their tricks never worked."

"Why not?"

"Because Little Toph showed up to every, single one of his games."

Toph cringed a bit at the 'little' in front of her name and she raised a brow. "Wow. She must have been some type of a good luck charm if none of the tricks worked on him."

"She was," Aang confirmed with a nod. "Because of the good luck that Little Toph constantly showered upon him, Handsome Aang and his team rarely ever lost a game. If they did lose a game, her good luck made sure that Handsome Aang still played to the best of his abilities. He never worried about losing. That is, until he reencountered an old foe."

Toph thought for a bit. "Crazy Boomer?"

Aang grinned brightly. "Wow! Not only is our audience good looking, but they are _also_ incredibly attentive with brilliant memory skills."

It was such a small compliment and he complimented her all the time, but she really hoped that she wasn't turning red. She fought a smile, though a bit of her nervous chuckle slipped out. "Who was Crazy Boomer?"

"Crazy Boomer," he began with an ominous air about him. "Was one of Handsome Aang's toughest opponents. Through sheer determination and a great amount of Little Toph's good luck, Crazy Boomer was defeated. But he held a fierce grudge because this was not the first time that Handsome Aang's team had defeated his. So, he returned the next year with a vengeance against Handsome Aang and Little Toph."

Toph sputtered. "Why did Little Toph have to get involved in _this_?!"

He scoffed. "Her good luck is what started started this whole thing!"

She was _this_ close to beating him up and getting him taken out of the game herself. Instead, she sighed. "What happened when Crazy Boomer returned? If Little Toph was in the audience, then everything should be fine."

Aang shook his head with a bit of a frown. "Ah, Handsome Aang thought the same. And thus, the game began. It seemed that Crazy Boomer had been preparing for his rematch with Handsome Aang. He even had a new and special move. It turned out that Crazy Boomer had been training and practicing this special move of his to be used _specifically_ for this rematch." A bit dramatically, he shook his head, his face full of distress. "Oh, Handsome Aang was distraught! 'Woe is me!' he cried. But he couldn't let Crazy Boomer faze him. He couldn't let Little Toph down and make a mockery of her goodluckcharmness!"

"That's not a word-"

"So, he and Crazy Boomer made a bet. If Little Toph's good luck worked for Handsome Aang, Crazy Boomer would finally admit his defeat. If Crazy Boomer won, Handsome Aang would lose Little Toph as a best friend because he would have made a mockery of her goodluckcharmness-"

" _Not_ a word-"

"By losing. He would also have to sit on the bench for three whole games."

"Boys are _the_ most idiotic creatures to ever walk the face of this earth-"

"Crazy Boomer and Handsome Aang both played vigorously during the first half. They were neck at neck with one another and the scores continually jumped and switched. It turned out that Crazy Boomer special move really was special. But just when Handsome Aang was about to give up hope on the title, he came up with a brilliant idea."

"What was the brilliant idea?"

"Ah," he said with a grin. "Not only is our audience good looking _and_ incredibly attentive, but they are also quite inquisitive."

Her smile finally escaped and she laughed. Holy _hell_ , he was so hot-

"Right after the first half ended, Handsome Aang rushed to the stands where Little Toph was sitting. Now, normally, just the very presence of Little Toph would aid Handsome Aang and his team in winning the game. But this time, it was different. Now, he had a bet to win. So, Handsome Aang had to do the impossible." He paused, shut his eyes, and took a breath, adding to the dramatics of the story. "He needed to get a kiss from Little Toph."

Toph's laughter grew a bit hysterical at that. Not only was Aang _hot_ , but this had to be one of the more far fetched stories that he'd ever come up with. But it was the best one so far if there was a _kiss_ involved. Hence, the nervous laughs and giggles that were escaping her. "Oh- oh, really?" she giggled out. She didn't notice the people watching her a bit worriedly. Not that she cared at the moment.

Aang looked a bit insulted as he crossed his arms. "Yes, really. Don't disrespect my ancestors by doubting the verity of their story. Now," he resumed his story as her nervous laughter continued. "Little Toph was a bit hesitant about this theory. Handsome Aang was, as well. As hard as it was to believe, Little Toph was kind of scary." He paused. "Actually, you kind of look like her in the way that my ancestors described her. Not quite as pretty, though."

That stopped her laughter just a bit. "Aang," she said as she threw a punch.

He dodged it with ease simply because she was still giggling. There was an impish grin on his face. "All according to folklore, remember? Anyway, Little Toph was bewildered at the thought. Not at the thought of giving Handsome Aang a kiss because, why wouldn't she want to kiss _him_?"

She snorted as her nervous giggles continued because it was true. Why wouldn't _anyone_ want to kiss someone as _hot_ as _he_ was? " _Aang_!"

He laughed. "Little Toph was bewildered at the thought of Handsome Aang's theory. Since when was her presence no longer good enough? Well, ever since Crazy Boomer was threatening Handsome Aang's title as the most valuable player in the kingdom, that is. See, Crazy Boomer knew that if Handsome Aang missed three games, he would no longer be in the running for the title."

She swallowed her laughter down with a sigh, but a smile remained and she looked to the clock just past his head. They had a little under three minutes left. She looked back to him. "Did she kiss him?"

"Yup," he said with a nod and a smile. "Right here." He pointed to a spot on his cheek. "It turned out that Handsome Aang's theory was true. As a result of that kiss, Handsome Aang's team crushed Crazy Boomer and put an end to his dastardly scheme, he kicked some ass-"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it went-"

"And he claimed the title that was rightfully his. The title of the most valuable player in the kingdom was his." He looked up to the sky and Toph could have sworn that there were stars in his eyes. "And he lived happily, ever after."

She had to admit that it was a pretty good story (and not just because of the kiss), especially since she was pretty sure that he just made it all up on the spot. "As enthralling as that story was, what was the point of it?"

The stars in his eyes died. "Well," he began with a frown and he looked back to her. "As fate would have it, the universe has worked hand in hand with coincidence and linked the story of my ancestors with my own life."

Now that Toph thought about it, Aang did look like he was competing with someone on the court tonight. What was his name? His name wasn't _Boomer_. Actually, his name was _Bumi_. He was scoring a lot with a special move and he _was_ pretty crazy. She put the pieces together. "You and Bumi made a bet on me?"

"Not on you," Aang corrected. "Your goodluckcharmness."

"That's not a _word_!" she exclaimed as she punched his arm. Not the pretty one. She really liked that one.

"Ouch!" He grabbed for his arm. "I need that for the second half! Geez," he grumbled as he rubbed the arm. "I always forget how strong you are. If I win, it counts as an apology and a win."

" _If_ you win?"

"Can't be too sure," he said with a shrug. "I need that kiss." Technically, he didn't need it. But, he did want it. "Legend has it that with just one kiss from a pretty girl, the game is guaranteed to be won."

"Oh, really? I'm guessing that this legend is derived from the very same story that was passed down from your ancestors and to each generation before it reached you," she deadpanned. When he gave her a nod of approval, she continued. "And who exactly came up with this legend?"

He beamed.

There was a smile fighting to come out. She was supposed to be mad at him but, he was acting as if he had all the time in the world. Which he didn't. The timer was going to go off in exactly one minute. Still, he stayed with her. And he was _really_ hot. How could she stay mad at that? "One kiss?"

"According to the legend that was derived from the story told by ancestors and passed down to each generation before it reached me."

"On the cheek?"

"Actually," he stated with a finger in the air. "Although the original legend _does_ state that it's a kiss on the cheek that wins the game, I've decided to take my claim as the descendent of the original storyteller and create my own theory that a kiss on the lips would-"

She raised a fist. "Aang."

He shirked back and smiled a bit too innocently.

The smile finally made it's way out and she shook her head and lowered her fist before she looked at the timer. Why was she more worried about the time than he was? She thought on whether or not she should give him that kiss. It was just going to be a peck on the cheek and it wasn't like she had never done that before. This time just felt different.

She bit down on her lip. That was when she noticed him staring at her mouth. Slowly, she let her lip slide out from the hold of her teeth and he took in a short breath. It was barely noticeable. In fact, she wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't been paying so much attention to how hot he was. "If you don't win this bet, do you know how bad I'll look?"

"Your _goodluckcharmness_ will look bad," he corrected, his eyes still stuck on her lips.

"That's not a word." She resisted a swallow. Why was he still staring at her mouth?

He met her eyes and she finally swallowed. "I'll win."

She knew that he would win. He was fighting for the title of MVP, after all. If he missed three games, that title would be ripped right out of his hands. If she was to take the time out to be honest with herself, she would realize that she just wanted to be the reason behind the title. But now wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

She looked up at the timer.

_10, 9, 8..._

She met his eyes. "The second half is about to start."

"They won't start without me," was his immediate response.

"You sound pretty confident."

"I am."

_7, 6, 5..._

_Why_ wasn't he _moving_? She didn't want to be the one held responsible for the game starting late or even for the possible loss. " _Aang_."

He grinned. " _Toph_."

_4, 3-_

Quickly, she pecked him on the cheek.

With a laugh and a loud whoop, he jumped off of the bleachers and stepped onto the court, just in time for the buzzer to go off. "I'm gonna kick some _ass_!" At this declaration, the crowd began cheering, feeding off of his energy.

Two seats down from her, Kahn clapped giddily and Toph jumped. "Not only is he an awesome basketball player, but he's an equally awesome story teller! Is there anything he _can't_ do?!"

Hesitantly, Toph looked at Kahn. Since when was he there? That was when she remembered that they came together with Katara, who was actually sitting right beside her. How did she forget that she came with the two people who were there with her the whole time? Sitting right next to her?

Katara snorted. "What was _that_?"

Toph fought the urge to look around. Forget Katara and Kahn. How did she forget that all of those people were there? She didn't even want to think about all of the rumors that would be swirling around campus by the time morning came. But, the smile never left.

So, she turned to watch the game, keeping her eyes on Aang. He got into his position with a squat, but not before blowing a kiss at Bumi. Bumi paled and looked to her before looking back to Aang. The satisfaction was practically radiating from Aang when he met her eyes and pat his cheek.

What _was_ that? She didn't know what it was, but she couldn't deny that she liked it. Whatever _it_ was. So, her smile grew and at the sight of it, he grinned and rolled his neck and shoulders before focusing his attention on the game. He was definitely going to win this.

She looked to an expectant Katara. That was when she remembered that she told the older woman that she had a crush on _Kahn_. Not Aang. This was why she was sitting between the two of them. She probably expected Aang to know of her 'feelings' for Kahn and wanted to know why he did that.

And so, to answer Katara's question truthfully: "I don't know."

The Spirits' won their game and Kahn knew that they would. After all, with Aang as their captain, they had no choice but to win. Especially when he got Toph to kiss him on the cheek. Kahn wasn't stupid. He knew that Aang didn't like him, but this didn't mean that Kahn didn't like him. He was still Peter Pan's biggest and number one fan. Therefore, he was _ecstatic_ to see that Aang had actually followed his advice.

"Are you okay with Toph being so close to Aang?"

Kahn looked to see Katara standing beside him amidst the pandemonium that broke out in the gymnasium after the game. She wasn't letting him out of her sight and rightfully so. After all, she did think that he and Toph were an item, but he knew the truth. "Why do you ask?"

She pointed and his eyes followed her finger. Toph and Aang were speaking with Bumi. He heard him saying something about how her good luck must have been real if the Spirits' came up like that. Kahn didn't miss the look that Aang gave Toph. And he was pretty sure that Katara didn't, either.

He looked to her. "Come on, Katara," he said with a smile. "That's her best friend." He forced his dimples to grow. He knew how to use them to his advantage.

True to his expectation, Katara seemed to be fighting a smile before she sighed. "I've still got my eyes on you. Got it?"

With a nod, his smile grew and he knew that his dimples did, as well. Katara excused herself to join the conversation and as soon as she did, Aang placed an arm around Toph's shoulders and she leaned into him - just a bit.

Kahn took his phone out to text a single message: _"It worked."_


	21. Chapter 21

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Twenty One

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"It's a shot in the dark, but I'll make it."

― Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne, "Rather Be"

.

Aang was acting weird. Well, _strange_ was a better word for it. Stranger than usual anyway, and this was certainly saying something because he was already strange enough to begin with. Actually, it - his behavior - wasn't strange. Per se. It was... _different_. Yes, _different_ was the proper word for the change in his behavior.

Toph couldn't quite pinpoint this change in his behavior or catch the gist of it, either. It seemed like he was paying more attention to her, but that couldn't be it because he always paid attention to her. She was a spoiled brat and an only child, so they both knew that she thrived on and lived off of attention, especially when it came from her best friend and recently acquired crush. It also seemed that he was - dare she say it? - _flirting_ with her. But _that_ couldn't be the change, either. Compliments couldn't constitute as flirting.

Could it?

No.

He always complimented her, so she couldn't say that he had begun flirting - even though she _really_ wanted to. So, that definitely wasn't the change. But there _was_ a _change_. A shift. A difference. It wasn't like this change, shift, difference, or _whatever_ was sudden or unwelcome because it was neither of the two. It just... _happened_.

Deep down, she was sure that there probably wasn't even a change, shift, or difference. Maybe it was just her. Maybe this stupid crush was just messing with her head and making her think weird. And for some reason, she didn't mind. Even if she was turning into a giggling schoolgirl with each passing moment that she spent with him, she didn't mind - and this wasn't right. He was her best friend and was (supposed to be) leaving for Europe soon.

However, despite knowing this, she was finding it hard to focus on this meeting. But _honestly_ , who could blame her? She was sitting _right next to him_ in Azula and Suki's office to discuss _Operation: Zutara_. Admittedly, she had been wanting to have this meeting for a long while (not _that_ long, according to Aang), but she just could _not_ pay attention for the life of her. He was _incredibly_ distracting. And it was pretty pathetic because all he was doing was sitting there. It wasn't like he was playing basketball or showing off his _hot_ new tattoo or even telling a joke. All he was doing was sitting next to her, discussing the next mission and she was about to lose it.

Toph glanced at him from the corner of her eye and caught a quick glimpse of his strong jawline.

Heavens above, he was _so freaking hot-_

"Is that okay with you, Toph?"

Toph started a bit and looked to Suki. Quite frankly, she was surprised that this question was able to make it past the wall of distraction that Aang had inadvertently set up around her. She had no idea what the older woman was going on about and she was not too proud to let that be known. "Is what okay with me?"

"The new mission," Suki answered.

Toph was pretty sure that it was quite obvious that she didn't know what was going on here. She didn't need a mirror to know that she looked lost and flustered. She felt it. "Sorry," she blurted. "I wasn't paying attention."

That drew a reaction from Azula. "Excuse me?" she snarled. " _You're_ the one who badgered us to have this stupid meeting."

Did these two women _not_ see what she had sitting _right_ next to her? She resisted the urge to stand up and gesture wildly toward him. Instead, she crossed her arms and shook her head with a huff. "Just brief me."

Beside her, Aang waggled a finger. "Ah, ah, ah," he sang. "What's the magic word?"

Immediately, Toph felt her stomach do a little flip. It wasn't that cutesy flip that it usually did because she thought that he was hot or adorable. This was an _angry_ flip because she was _TophfreakingBeifong_! and she could _not_ let herself become undone because of a stupid _boy_. Especially if that stupid _boy_ was her _stupid best friend._

She set her jaw and looked to him determinedly. However, as soon as she met with those transparent and hazel eyes, that determination fizzled and died. She was ready to tell him off and to tell him to go buff and shine his head, but _hell._ When did those eyes go from hazel to silver? Then, before she knew it, the word " _please_ " fell out of her mouth.

He smiled that impish smile.

She swallowed a sigh down.

And thus, Toph Beifong's determination = washed up. Out of business. Done for. Kaput.

In other words: _pathetic_.

"My brother can't ice skate," Azula began, prompting Toph to finally look away from Aang in order to meet her eyes. "He's always been too proud to learn how to and because of this, he hates ice skating. But Katara loves it."

Toph nodded and Suki continued. "However, just because he hates ice skating doesn't mean that he wouldn't do it for her. We all know that would do anything for Katara. Including embarrass himself. What's more romantic than learning something new from your significant other?"

"Which brings us to the fifth mission of _Operation: Zutara,_ " Aang continued. "We've already decided that in order for us to be able to openly spy on them, this outing would have to be an open invite for everyone. Free skating, spying, and _Operation: Zutara_ will finally move forward."

Toph thought for a bit. No, really. She was thinking about the _mission_ and not about Aang's _hotness_. For once. Hell, she was pitiful. "If this outing is an open invite, Sokka will be there."

"I'll keep him away from them," Suki said.

Toph nodded. The plan sounded good, but it was missing... _something_.

"It needs a name," Toph and Aang said together.

Azula released a guttural groan and slapped her hands onto her face. " _Nothing_ about this is _natural_ ," she muttered, her words a bit muffled by her palms.

Aang continued undeterred. "We were thinking that you would name it. You're good at that."

It was such a small compliment. Actually, it wasn't really a compliment, at all. It was just a fact. Toph really _was_ good at naming things. She really _was_ good at this. Naming things and people was her _thing_. It was her shtick. It had _always_ been her shtick. But as soon as _he_ mentioned it, she felt like she had just been gifted with an Emmy, a Tony, an Oscar, and a Grammy award all at once.

And once again, it was pathetic. Toph knew what she was good at and she didn't need anyone to tell her. She _knew_. She wasn't _stupid_. Hell, she was a _genius_ when it came to certain things and was almost never too proud to admit it. But there she was melting because her _hot_ best friend was sitting next to her and spitting out facts that she was already aware of.

Because of this, she didn't look at him. Instead, she pondered on a proper name for the mission: "Ice."

_Operation: Taang_ was well on its way to success. From what Zuko had gathered, the two best friends were on the edge. According to Azula, the tension emanating from them during their own meeting for _Operation: Zutara_ was palpable. And this wasn't just figuratively speaking. Toph could barely pay attention while sitting beside Aang which meant that all was going well. The only thing that worried Zuko?

"We're going ice skating?!"

Behind the desk, Suki finally finished poking a cotton ball into her ear. He wasn't offended. They knew that he was passionate. AKA: _Loud_. But he digressed.

"Yes," Suki confirmed. "We're going ice skating. Is this a problem?"

As Suki and Zuko discussed the inevitable ice skating outing, Azula stood at the window behind her brother's chair. At first, she wasn't sure how she would like being a double agent, but it proved to be fun. Very fun. There were so many twists and turns, almost like a real life chess game. Except she was on the inside and knew how it would end on all sides; plus, she also had an inside eye into her brother's love life without being accused of being nosy.

She loved it.

Very briefly, Suki met her eyes from above Zuko's head before returning to the conversation. At that, Azula took her cellphone out to send out a text message: " _Commence phase two._ "

The blue bar stretched atop the screen until it was complete. ' _Message Delivered',_ it read before the phone vibrated and a reply appeared.

_"Got it."_

A smile creeped onto her face.


	22. Chapter 22

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Twenty Two

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"A friend is someone who can see the truth and pain in you even when you are fooling everyone else."

― Unknown

.

The holiday season is defined as the period of time from Thanksgiving until New Years, including festivals such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza. Holiday season was grand, and this was quite literal.

It was big.

It was huge.

It was massive.

Hell, it was _stressful_. And it seemed that no matter what holiday was being celebrated, stress during the holiday season was almost always guaranteed and inevitable.

Halloween started it all off, and this season was pretty easy. All you needed was some decorations, candy, and a pretty good costume. However, despite this, Halloween was just the beginning of the holiday season, and depending on just how many expenses were incurred during this spooky season, it helped to clue people in on just how bad the rest of the holiday season would be. It was followed by Thanksgiving, the season of charity, food, and hated family members that were seen only twice or three times a year. That equaled stress.

Then came Christmas, which was probably the worst of them all. Not only did this season include even more expenses, even more hated family members, and even more decorations, but it also included caroling, those stupid movies that played on every single channel, and _Santa Claus_. Once again, this equaled stress. But eventually, all of this stress was alleviated once the holiday season ended off with a (sometimes drunken) bang on New Years, and even that involved a little stress depending on how bad the hangover happened to be if there was one.

Yet, despite the seeming inevitability of all of this stress, there was a way to keep it all abated just a bit.

That's what Toph and Aang told their friends, anyway.

Hence, the next mission of _Operation: Zutara._

Mission Five - Ice

Ah, ice skating. The great, American past time (once again, according to Toph and Aang). Not only was it an excellent stress reliever, but it really was just a staple of the holiday season (now _that_ , Toph and Aang didn't have to tell anyone). It didn't matter where anyone came from, how old they were, what they did for a living, or what holiday was or wasn't being celebrated. Simply put, the holiday season didn't have to be on its way or even be there for anyone to go ice skating, because it was just something that everyone did all year round.

Everyone except for Zuko, that is.

According to Azula, Zuko couldn't skate to save his life. He had tried it once as a child when their mother took them one day. As soon as he stepped foot onto the ice, he was flat on his butt and in pain just as quickly. His younger sister laughed until she cried, Zuko turned red as his mother made an attempt to appease him, and that was the last time that he had ever stepped foot into a skating rink.

"He vowed to never skate again," Azula solemnly declared. As solemnly as she could with a wobbling upper lip, anyway.

Quite frankly, that little vow was doomed as soon as he befriended both Toph and Aang, and it was both because he really couldn't have one without the other. The two troublemakers didn't care about the vow. They didn't give one, single damn about it and couldn't even if they tried to. What they cared about was getting Zuko and Katara to finally admit their feelings to each other and hook up, pop some babies out (" _Toph_."), or just go bang it out in a closet ("My _goodness_ , Toph!" followed by an annoyed, "Don't you dare try to act all righteous now, Twinkletoes!"). It didn't matter, so long as those two stopped skirting around their feelings.

Which was why in the midst of their friends skating in the rented arena, Zuko was slipping and sliding every which way possible.

Had it been _literally_ _anyone_ _else_ in the world, it wouldn't have mattered. So they couldn't skate? Big whoop. They could learn no matter how long it took. But because this was _Zuko_? Oh, it was absolutely hilarious.

With a bit of a flourish to her foot movements, Azula skated to her red older brother, gliding beside him as he fumbled. She didn't look interested in helping him out, at all. In fact, she was actually texting and skating while he was just trying not to fall on his butt. It was a bit showoff-ish, but this really didn't come as a surprise. "Don't you wish that you had just swallowed your pride and learned how to skate while we were young, Zuzu?"

Impossible as it seemed, Zuko's face turned even redder. After suffering on the ice with cold fingertips and feet that just refused to listen to him, that little quip seemed to set him off. He clenched his teeth and released a growl. "Azula, you little brat-!" Suddenly, he found himself reeling back, and he threw his arms out in an attempt to keep himself upright.

Before Azula could reach out and actually help him, Katara skated toward them and pushed him up and onto his feet. She gave the younger girl a chastising look. "Azula, don't be so mean to your brother. You see him trying, don't you?"

"I can be as mean as I want to be," Azula replied dismissively. "He's _my_ brother. Besides, _you'll_ be there to kiss all the boo-boos away, anyway. Won't you?"

"Azula, you brat-!"

"That's not funny-!"

Azula held her phone up. "Smile for the camera."

" _What_ -?!" the elder two exclaimed.

The flash went off and Azula was on her way, skating away from the whining that came from her red faced brother and his even redder significant other.

Zuko and Katara stood there for a moment, watching Azula skate away before he finally released a nervous chuckle. He made a move to scratch the back of his neck and would have fallen if Katara hadn't still been holding him up. "Sorry about that. She's just-"

"She's just Azula," Katara supplied for him with a nod. "But that doesn't mean that she was wrong."

"About you kissing the boo-boos away?"

A smile tugged at her lips. "You should have learned to skate when you had the chance."

Zuko shrugged. "Well, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, right? Which means that this is my cue to leave-"

"No," Katara interrupted with a laugh. She skated around him to stand before him, keeping her arms out to catch him should he fall. "It might be hard, but it's completely possible to teach an old dog new tricks. In other words: don't be such a baby." She extended a hand toward him.

His upper lip curled at the sight. If he could back away without falling, he would have already been gone. "We really don't have to do this."

She took on an air of determination. "Today is the day you will learn to ice skate. Come on," she said with a smile as she took his hand. "If you fall, I'll fall with you. That way we'll both have boo-boos." Before he could respond, she began to lead him away.

Watching from a seat in the empty audience area, a smile grew onto Toph's face. She knew that Zuko was whipped, but she didn't think that he was _that_ whipped. He didn't even try to argue once Katara took his hand. He was really going to learn how to ice skate _for her_ , which meant that _Operation: Zutara_ was working.

Toph resisted the urge to look to Aang, which was pretty hard considering how nice he was to look at. But she stayed strong because she really didn't know what the hell was going on. He was acting weird again, and not the same weird from before.

The 'weird Aang' from before made her giggle nervously. It had her blushing for reasons unknown, and caused the butterflies in her stomach to flutter uncontrollably as her brain thought up stupid theories. That was the good 'weird'. This 'weird Aang', the one who was currently sitting beside her in the rented arena, didn't do any of that. It made her nervous, and not the good kind. This 'weird' was a bad one. Although she liked the good 'weird Aang', she was glad for this one because she could not risk her brain confusing itself with stupid and impossible thoughts that could never even happen in the first place.

Toph shook that thought off. "What's your problem?"

Beside her, Aang started a bit. "What do you mean?"

"You're acting weird."

"No, I'm not."

"You answered that a little too quickly." When he released a heavy sigh, a corner of her mouth quirked up a bit as she watched her friends skate. Suki just tactfully and successfully distracted Sokka from completing his journey to his baby sister and Zuko, who really was doing a good job for someone who didn't want to learn in the first place. Zuko trying to learn how to skate just to make Katara happy was pretty... Well, it was cute. "I'm your best friend. I can tell when something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong."

"I can tell when you're lying, too."

He snorted. "That has nothing to do with us being best friends. You're just a human lie detector."

Finally, Toph gave in and looked to him, and she instantly regretted it. There was a bit of a smile on his face as he watched their friends skating. Goodness, he was just _so freaking hot_ \- "So you admit that you were lying just then."

Aang looked up to the ceiling, giving Toph the most _incredible_ view of his strong jawline. "I didn't think that I was acting weird."

If he didn't think that he was acting weird just then, then he probably didn't think that he was acting weird when he was turning her into a giggly schoolgirl. Completely inadvertent. And all in her head.

Toph looked away. "But there is something wrong. Isn't there?"

"You invited Kahn, too?"

Well, that certainly was an extremely random topic change. "Yeah. Why?"

When he remained silent, she looked to him, actually ignored his jawline, and followed his line of vision. Kahn had just arrived and was speaking with Azula. Before Toph could question whether or not Kahn and Azula knew each other prior to this little outing, she noticed that Aang wasn't really _looking_ at Kahn. It was more of a... glare. No, it was a... a... a _death_ glare. And it looked _really good_ on him.

Toph shook her head with a bit of a huff. "You _really_ don't like him."

"I'm not supposed to like _any_ boy that you become involved with. Remember?"

"I'm not involved with Dimples and you know it."

Aang's jaw clenched just a bit.

Wait a second, that wasn't _just_ a death glare. It was _more_ than _just_ a death glare, and she knew it because she had seen that glare before. It was never for her, but she had seen it on his face before.

Toph fought off a growing smile. "Baldy- No, Twinkletoes. Are you... _jealous_?"

Instead of rolling his eyes, or scoffing, or doing anything to deny such an accusation, Aang finally met her eyes. "If it was my place to be jealous, would I have a reason to be?"

Toph blinked at that, but she followed with a shake of her head. "No."

Those endlessly transparent and hazel eyes watched her for a bit before he spoke. "I hear that Koko's got plans to win me back. Just for the sake of fairness, let me make this clear. If it was your place to be jealous, you wouldn't have a reason to be, either."

There that other 'weird Aang' went. The good one. "Oh."

He raised a brow. "Oh?"

Well, the one better than the one she was previously dealing with, anyway. In other words: the _hot_ one. To Toph's surprise, she didn't begin to giggle, and she didn't feel her face burning. Instead, her stomach began to turn. Relentlessly. In an attempt to stave that off, she nodded. "I mean, good."

Aang returned the nod with that impish smile of his. "Good."

She broke their gaze and looked back to the ice. Okay, now she felt it. "It" being the _burn_ , and she was pretty sure that the temperatures for ice skating rinks were supposed range from chilly to freezing cold. But hell, whether he knew it or not, this boy was setting her on _fire_ -

"You were right."

Toph looked to Aang and swallowed. "H-huh?" she choked out. Wait, when the hell did she start _stuttering_?

"You were right," he repeated. "There is something wrong."

"What is it?" At least she didn't stutter.

With a bit of a scowl, he looked to his hands and seemed to be debating something.

"Toph! Peter Pan!"

The two friends looked up to see that it was Kahn himself. He was waving at them with the biggest smile, which meant that his dimples were at their absolute and final form.

Toph couldn't help but to return the wave. She looked to Aang and found him doing the most dramatic eye roll that she had ever seen. She snorted, punched his arm, and ignored his _'Toph!'_ "Don't be jealous."

Aang kept a hand over the area that she punched. "Because I don't have a reason to be. Right?"

Her heart stuttered. It wasn't fair that he could do _that_ , whether he knew it or not, and not be affected while _she_ was sitting in an ice cold skating rink, burning up and having extreme palpitations of the heart. Nevertheless, she choked out a bit of a nervous giggle. "If it was your place to be jealous, remember?"

Aang smiled, and her stomach turned again because that wasn't a smile on his face. "Right." He stood and held a hand out for her to take. Was that a _smirk_? "Come on. We might as well put your money to good use and skate while we we're here."

Hell, it was definitely a smirk. Most definitely. And impossible as it seemed, it made him look even hotter than-

Toph stood and pushed past his hand. "Race you."

Okay.

Confession time.

Aang hated to see his best friend uncomfortable. She was his absolute best friend, the best that he had ever had, and she had been his best friend since he was four and she was three. No matter how many punches she would give him for it, and those punches did _hurt_ , he would unapologetically bash in the head of anyone who made her feel uncomfortable or uneasy.

But he sure did like to see her squirm whenever he flirted with her.

It was fun to see her cheeks flare up just a bit, to hear those nervous little giggles, and to have her stuttering. His best friend _never_ stuttered. He just wondered how long it would take for it to click in her brain that he was, in fact, flirting with her.

Flirting with his best friend was pretty easy, simply because she was his best friend. Telling her that she looked nice, or was smart, or just sending her a wink every now and then came naturally to him because these were all just the things that he did before he even grew any feelings for her. He just hated the fact that it took the possibility of going to the other side of the world for him to realize what a pivotal role his best friend played in his life.

However, despite all this, she was still his best friend. And best friends were always there to help each other. At least, that was how it was with them. It didn't matter what time it was, where they were, or who they were around. Toph would always help Aang out and Aang would always help Toph out. That was just how it always was, that was how it currently was, and that was how it would continue to be.

Aang was just hoping that Katara wouldn't be the one to answer the door at almost two in the morning.

He shifted from foot to foot at the front door in an attempt to keep himself warm. He knew that it was late and that temperatures were starting to drop, but he just had to talk to her. He could have called, but that wasn't the same as seeing her in person. Not anymore.

Boy, was he pathetic.

The sounds of the locks being undone prompted him to stop shifting and to stand still. Finally, the door opened and there stood Toph in all of her sleepy, bed headed, drool faced glory rubbing her eyes.

Aang felt his stomach turn. She looked cute. _Really_ cute. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

Unabashedly, she yawned the ugliest yawn and ended it off with a burp. "Tell me something I don't know."

He chuckled at that. "I was hoping that you would open the door, but I'm surprised that it actually happened. Where's Katara?"

Toph snorted and abandoned rubbing the sleep out of her eyes in order to cross her arms and lean against the doorpost. "Sugar Queen is still out with Grapevine. I wouldn't be surprised if he's still letting her teach him how to ice skate."

Oh, right. Mission Five of _Operation: Zutara_ was a success.

"You're lucky that she wasn't here to open the door," Toph continued. "What are you doing here so late, anyway? Did you come to confess your undying love to me or something?"

"No. That's for another day." When Toph's eyes widened just a bit and her cheeks grew a bit rosy, Aang felt a corner of his mouth turn up.

"Just be sure to tell me when you plan to do this so that I can prepare myself."

Aang knew that she was just kidding, but that did prick him a bit. Not an unnerving prick, but the sort of prick that told him that he really didn't know when he would tell her of his feelings for her. As much fun as it was, he couldn't just flirt with her forever. Well, he could. His father flirted with his mother, and Aang definitely wouldn't mind making Toph blush and stutter even after they were in a relationship. If that ever happened, that is.

She watched him a bit suspiciously. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong with you or are you just going to stand there until Katara finally decides to show up?"

He scoffed. "Of course not."

"Well?"

"'Well' what?"

"Is this about what you were going to tell me earlier?"

Aang resisted a frown. This was why he was on her doorstep at two in the morning. He hated to do this to her, and he rarely ever did because she really wasn't good with this stuff. This was more of his forte, but she was his best friend. He could make it up to her later. With that final thought, he blurted, "My father's sick."

A short breath escaped her and her arms fell to her sides. "He's sick? W-well, what's wrong with him?"

Aang liked to hear her stutter, but not for reasons like this. "We don't know yet. That's why he missed my birthday party. He was getting tests done."

She seemed to be at a loss for words before finally speaking. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry for springing this up on you-"

"No, don't be," she interrupted. "That's why I'm here, right? I'm your best friend."

He nodded and they stood in silence, watching each other. Then she gave him a small smile. It was an uncomfortable one. Aang hated to see his best friend uncomfortable. The fact that she was attempting to smile for him in the midst of her discomfort caused his defenses to crumble right then and there. "What am I supposed to do? I already lost my mother. I can't lose him, too."

"You won't be alone, Aang."

"I'm really sorry for this, T."

"I already told you that I'm your best friend."

"I don't know the rest of my family. You know that."

A deep frown marred her face at that. "You might not know the rest of your family, but why should that matter? I mean, they weren't around when you were growing up. What would make them step up now?"

Aang blinked.

Toph shook her head. "Wait, no. That wasn't right. You know, this really is more of _your_ area of _expertise_ , but let me try again."

That look of pure concentration on her face made him smile. He nodded. "Okay, try again."

She returned the nod as she tapped her chin and his smile grew. She was so focused that she didn't even tell him not to tell her what to do. "Okay, get a tissue out. This one is going to be good, I promise. By definition, a family is a group of people related to one another by blood or marriage. But family doesn't always have to be blood related. It's also defined as a group of people who share common attitudes, interests, or goals and, frequently, live together. Family doesn't need to be blood related. If something does happen to your dad-"

Aang cleared his throat.

"Which I doubt will," she quickly added before she stopped to think. "Just know that you do have family and you won't be alone. You've got me, Katara, Zuko, Suki, Sokka, Azula, and even Iroh and Appa. We'll be your family. I'm your family, Aang."

To be quite honest, Aang was pleasantly surprised. "Wow."

With a smug look, Toph crossed her arms and leaned against the doorpost once again. "How's _that_ for hallmark card sappiness?"

He nodded in approval. "You're getting better at this."

"Tell me about it," she said with a growing grin. "It might just be you rubbing off on me, but my family really should just buy the Hallmark company off and appoint me as the CEO. You can be my assistant and cry your little baby tears on each product to ensure maximum authenticity."

"Very funny."

She laughed at that. Her voice sounded rough and a bit gravelly from having just woken up, and it made his stomach turn. "I meant it, you know? I am your family."

He already knew it, but it was nice to hear her say that. Especially when words like that would never leave her lips under normal circumstances. So he nodded. "I know. I'm your family, too."

"I know," she said with a nod of her own and a smile.

The smile brought him right back down to earth, reminding him that he was still standing at her doorstep and she was still standing inside with the door wide open. They had been standing there like that the entire time. Suddenly, he felt the chill of the night once again. He was wearing a jacket and he felt it. She was just in a t-shirt and a pair of sweats. "Are you cold?"

She blinked and looked around. Then she crossed her arms. It seemed that she forgot about their surroundings as well. "I am now."

"May I come inside, then?"

"Damn it, Twinkles. I need to go to sleep."

"Why can't I sleep here? It's not like I have work or any classes tomorrow."

"It sounds like you're just trying to get inside of my bed."

"It wouldn't be the first time that I've been in it or the last."

With a roll of her eyes, Toph turned and began to make her way up the stairs. "You are _so_ lucky that Katara wasn't here to open this door."

Aang tried to fight the smile off, but it didn't work because he caught that slight reddening of her cheeks. So with an impish grin, he entered the apartment, shut and locked the door behind him, and followed her up the stairs.


	23. Chapter 23

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Twenty Three

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"Call for reinforcements. We're under attack!"

― _The Longest Day_ (1962)

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_Operation: Zutara_ was well on its way to success.

This operation had many roadblocks awaiting them, one of them specifically: an overprotective older brother who liked to play bodyguard. The other: a woman too proud to admit her romantic feelings. But these roadblocks were gradually crumbling and wasting away as time went on. The older brother, as overprotective as he was, was just as easily distracted by food, shiny object and his girlfriend. And his younger sister was steadily growing weaker under the charms of her significant other.

All in all? Everything was going according to plan, and it wouldn't be long until Zuko and Katara were an official couple. But with five people working on this one operation, each of them brilliant in their own way and one of them being half of Zutara, success was inevitable.

_Operation: Taang_ , however, was a _completely_ different story. It was proving to be a difficult one, and this was something that even Azula could admit.

Each day, Azula, Suki and Zuko would update each other on the status of _Taang_ , and the women's main source of everything regarding Aang was the young man's biggest fan, himself.

Kahn.

Azula knew what she was doing when she chose Kahn as their spy. Not only was he smart, amiable and eager, but he was also cute. Kahn was really, _really_ cute - bright smile, dimples and everything. _The works_. And the works, when paired with an unofficial couple, could only result in one thing.

Jealousy.

It was an interesting little emotion to observe from afar, especially when it had to do with her friends. Azula wasn't sure if it would work, but the moment that she became sure of Aang's feelings for his best friend, Kahn went from a double agent to Toph's newest friend. And Aang's biggest competition.

It was obvious that Aang was jealous, even if the other two weren't romantically involved ( _yet_ ). He soon became desperate, and soon enough, this jealousy pushed Aang to do the impossible: he _actually_ took advice from _Kahn_ and began to flirt with his best friend.

That was even more interesting to observe. And this was because it was working.

Whether he knew it or not, Aang was an excellent flirt, and the fact that he knew his best friend inside and out only aided him. He knew just what to say to make her laugh and smile. Then, he would finish it off with a wink or a handsome smile, both of which would make her face grow bright red. Sometimes, he would even send her into a fit of nervous giggles. Right before she punched him, of course.

Now, both Azula and Suki knew that the only reason _Operation: Taang_ existed was because Zuko wanted to get revenge on the two troublemakers for constantly spying on his private moments with Katara. But the two women wouldn't have helped him out if they didn't believe that Taang was a possible prospect in the first place. As much as they believed in exacting revenge, they also believed in keeping friendships and relationships in tact.

Evidently, Toph thought the same.

While the women's spy was Kahn, Zuko's was Katara. Not that she knew it. According to the older woman, Toph wasn't receiving any romantic or flirtatious gestures from her best friend. She couldn't _possibly_ be. After all, he was her best friend and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"Besides, Kahn is my man," Katara quoted Toph to Zuko over the phone just the other day. "Remember, mom?"

It took a bit of badgering, but Azula and Suki got Kahn to admit that he wasn't really Toph's man. He was just standing in to protect someone _else_ from Katara's momma bear attitude. A _decoy_ for Toph's _real_ crush, one that she wasn't admitting to anyone, not even to Aang.

But of course, the brilliant minds working on _Operation: Taang_ knew who it was.

They just needed something to push Toph the way that Kahn pushed Aang.

Or _someone_.

In other words: Koko.

Toph wasn't afraid of many things. Actually, Azula was pretty sure that the _only_ thing that the young woman was afraid of was losing her best friend. But Koko wasn't really a _fear_. She was more of a _challenge_ , and she had been one ever since they were young and long before Toph had even grown any romantic feelings for her best friend.

And everyone knew how much Toph _loved_ challenges.

It was a risk, a dangerous risk bringing Koko into this, but what would an operation involving the love lives of their closest friends be without dangerous risks?

Koko crossed her legs as she sat in her seat across from Azula in the double office. She looked the other woman dead in the eyes. "I showed up. Now, what the hell am I doing here?"

Kahn, who stood on one side of Azula, scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah, what _is_ she doing here? I've heard some things about her, none of them good, mind you, except that she could _possibly_ be a pretty good kisser. Having her here is _not_ safe, 'Zula."

Zuko, who had been previously preoccupied with his phone behind Koko, looked up. He raised a brow. "' _Zula_?"

Kahn blinked. "I called her _Azula_. Her name."

"No," Suki argued from her seat on top of the desk. "You called her 'Zula. Cute nickname, by the way. Do you approve, Zuko?"

Kahn released another scoff, this one in frustration as his face grew a bit rosy. He shook his head. "No, I told you that-"

"Enough," Azula interrupted before the conversation could go any farther. She ignored her brother's growing smirk and regarded Koko. "You're here because we need help."

Koko snorted and crossed her arms. "You're my ex-boyfriend's friends. Why should I help _any_ of you?"

"Because you're the only one who can offer us this help," Suki explained. "What would it take for you to even consider helping?"

"I want Aang."

Zuko chuckled. "Now, that's a _definite_ 'no'."

At that, Koko stood. "I'll be on my way, then."

Everyone was on their feet, holding their hands up with wide eyes as they argued and urged her to sit.

"I'll give you free martial arts lessons!" Suki offered.

"I'll give you my Peter Pan foam finger!" Kahn yelled. "It's in my backpack right now, I carry it with me everywhere!"

Zuko snapped his fingers. "I'll give you the secret recipe to my Uncle's world famous jade tea!"

Azula slammed her hands flat onto her desk, her eyes wide and blazing. "I'll give you Kahn!"

" _What_?!" Kahn screeched. "You can't _give_ me to her, 'Zula!"

Zuko delicately sucked his teeth with a shake of his head. "There that _'Zula_ goes again."

"I called her _Azula_!"

Zuko simply offered the younger man a teasing smirk before he looked to his sister. "I didn't even know that you owned Kahn, baby sister."

Azula scoffed, but she kept her eyes locked onto Koko's. She needed to make sure that this girl would be on board with them. "Don't be stupid. Of course you knew that. I own everything. I own _you_ , Zuzu."

"Ah," Zuko said and he looked to Kahn. "So, you _are_ hers-"

"Enough!" Azula snarled. She ignored the fact that she could actually feel her face growing a bit red, and for that, she pointedly avoided the gaze of her older brother. "Koko, we are working on _Operation: Taang_ , an operation set to finalize the romantic relationship of Toph and Aang. Are you in or not?"

Koko actually growled. "Obviously _not_! Why the hell would I help you with _that_?! I don't want them _together_!"

"She already told you that she would give you Kahn," Suki told her. "That's the closest you'll get to Aang around here because you're not getting the original."

"Well, that's what I want," Koko spoke icily. "The original. The only one. I want _Aang_."

Kahn sighed in sympathy. "Listen, I know that Peter Pan's awesome and all. I mean, he hates my guts and I _still_ love him." A dreamy smile slid onto his face. "He's so awesome when he hates people. Namely, me."

Suki rolled her eyes as a disgusted groan of, "You have _got_ to be kidding," rolled off of her tongue.

Koko waved it all off. "That's impossible. Aang could never hate anyone. 'To hate is to kill a brother'. He told me that."

"Well, it's true," Kahn told her. "He hates my guts. He hates me _so hard_." He blinked and looked off. "If he hates _me_ when he can't hate, that means that _I've_ unleashed an alien emotion from within him. I've done the _impossible_. Dude, Peter Pan _hates_ me! How awesome is _that_?!"

"Woah," Zuko laughed. "You better be careful. You're _this_ close to losing your little boy toy to Aang, ' _Zula_."

Suddenly, the air was filled with simultaneous shouts of:

"For the last time, I called her _Azula_!"

"I am _not_ losing Kahn to _anybody_!"

Everyone looked to Azula in surprise, even Koko, and she immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, her face growing hotter and hotter with each passing second. It was silent then, a tense silence, before Zuko set his jaw. Obviously, he didn't find any of this funny anymore.

He looked to Kahn. "We'll be speaking after this."

Azula slapped her hands onto the table once again, this time, with much more force. "No! The only one who will be speaking to _anyone_ is _me_ , and that 'anyone' is _Koko_! You listen to me, you mad woman," she began through clenched teeth. "Toph and Aang like each other, and it took Kahn stepping in for your _idiot_ of an ex-boyfriend to realize that he wasn't willing to lose her some random boy. All we need is for you to do the same: just step in, stir up some feelings of jealousy, enough to get Toph to finally step up."

Koko watched Azula for a moment. Then she crossed her arms as a sly smile slid onto her face. "An opportunity to mess with little miss perfect, herself? This is too good to be true."

Suki pointed an accusing finger toward her. "All we need you to do is mess with her. Make her think that you're coming for Aang."

"But _stay away_ from Aang," Zuko said. "All we need you to do is make Toph jealous. What will it take for you to do that for us?"

Kahn was quick to step in with a, "Besides getting Aang."

Azula held an arm out and in front of him. "And I retract my last offer. You don't get Kahn."

Zuko watched her suspiciously before his jaw ticked. "Right. Because that's Azula's property."

Finally, Azula gave up avoiding her brother's stare and looked him dead in the eyes. "You insolent fool! How many times must I remind you that _everything_ _is mine_?!"

Zuko crossed his arms.

Azula swallowed and looked away.

Behind her, Kahn seemed to be fighting a smile off.

Suki rolled her eyes at the scene and looked to Koko. "Look, are you in or not? None of us like it, but you're the only one fit to do the job."

"Of course I'm the only one capable of screwing Toph Beifong over," Koko declared haughtily and with an impish smile. "And believe it or not, bothering Tophy might just be a _bit_ more rewarding than having Aangy back on my arm."

There was a pause.

"I'm in on _Operation: Taang_."


	24. Chapter 24

**_THIS is the final chapter that was saved. Sorry, once again, for those of you who were still invested. This is the end._ **

* * *

Operation: Zutara - Chapter Twenty Four

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"I'm sorry that you seem to be confused. He belongs to me. The boy is mine."

― Brandy Monica, "The Boy is Mine"

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Toph _hated_ to be confused.

If there was ever a moment that she was perplexed or lacking in some sort of understanding, it would undoubtedly be the same, exact moment in which she would be pissed the fuck off. She was smart, a _genius_ even (by her standards, anyway—not that any other standard mattered). What business did _she_ , a genius who had been taught by the best tutors that money could buy, her first tutor being a gift from her grandfather for her very first birthday ( _"Why did you wait so long for her to begin her lessons, Lao?!"_ ), have in being _confused_? But she _was_ confused, so blatantly confused—and she could openly admit to herself that this word was a pretty big understatement. Toph couldn't even think of another word to properly describe this feeling between confusion and anger. So there she was, just stuck being _confused_ _about her_ _feelings_.

And it was all because of her best friend.

Honestly, what business did Aang, of all people, have in making her confused about something like her _feelings_? He was _Aang_! The earliest memory that she had of him was when he had been three years old and vehemently refusing to step outside and into the rain without an umbrella because he hated how water made his hair poof up. She could still remember him refusing to go anywhere without holding his mother's hand in his up until he had turned seven years old, and that was only because he had finally discovered the fine art of multitasking: playing with his friends while being able to see her. For goodness' sake, Toph could _vividly_ remember making the horrifying discovery that he was an _actual_ tree-hugger, one who made sure to give those huge plants long and meaningful hugs because "they would feel the love _aaaaaaaaaaall_ the way down to the tips of their roots". He didn't even like meat, and had never made an attempt to taste fake meat. He was _weird_ , and sometimes the light that reflected off of his bald and shiny head threatened to blind her.

Toph, on the other hand, _loved_ to feel the rain in her hair. She had been proudly independent and weaned off of her parents' attention (or lack thereof) as soon as she had received her first nanny. She hated trees, plants and nature in general, and would never be caught giving any of that stupid stuff a hug. She also hated weird and shiny things, but most of all, she loved _meat_. She would take the fake kind in a heartbeat if she couldn't have the real kind.

Aang was her best friend, the best that she had ever had and probably would ever have, but he was her direct and polar opposite. The two of them were literally the human personifications of the elements earth and air—they were not supposed to _touch_ , let alone be companions. Logically speaking, she and Aang should have hated each other, and if it weren't for that stupid promise that they had made when they were younger, and the simple fact that he was her very best friend, Toph would have never even spoken about kids and marriage with him.

But, hell, Toph was blushing every single time he called her pretty.

This was absolutely unacceptable, because when was he _not_ calling her pretty? He always called her pretty, had always _been_ calling her pretty and complimenting her ever since they were younger because his mother taught him to be the perfect gentleman. Toph was used to it. At least, she _should_ have been used to it, because what she should _not_ have been doing was turning into a tomato whenever he spoke some pretty words, or told a corny and unfunny joke, or flexed his pretty arm whenever he made a jump shot during a game. Nothing that he said or did was supposed to be making her red and preparing herself to fight off some stupid giggles. Nothing that he said or did was supposed to be considered _flirting_. Not with _her_ , because she was used to it all.

Why was it different _this_ time?

_Record scratch._

...or maybe it was all the same as it had always been and her brain was going into overdrive because she had a stupid crush on him. Maybe it was just her and he had never flirted with her a day in his life? What if there had never been a shift?

What if it was all in her head?

"T., are you okay?"

Toph's lips twitched at the sound of Aang's voice, refusing to look at him. One glance at that face, and she would forget everything that she had just come up with. She could _not_ afford to do that. So, she released a huff fit for the spoiled brat that she was and crossed her arms as she reclined into her seat, glaring at the sandwich that she had just bought from the school's cafeteria. She wasn't so hungry anymore. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm your best friend," he promptly answered with a chirp. "I'm supposed to worry about you. Plus, your eyebrows are knitted _reeeeeeeally_ close together."

Toph was pretty sure that he was making a funny face to mock her own, one that she just knew was absolutely adorable. Her lips were itching to stretch into a smile and she released another huff. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

"Well, you must be thinking _pretty_ hard because your eyebrows just got even closer. You know what they say: if you make a funny face and keep it for long enough, it'll get stuck like that." Pause. "Although, I must admit that you _would_ look pretty cute with a unibrow."

" _Aang_!" His name slipped out of her mouth with a laugh and she turned to look at him before she could stop herself. True to her assumption, he was making a funny face. Even truer to her assumption, he looked cute. Very, _very_ cute. She uncrossed her arms and reached out to punch him, ignoring the _'Toph, seriously!'_ that he whined out to the bustling cafeteria as he grasped for the spot that she hit. Instead, she crossed her arms once again, not bothering to hide the smile this time. "That's not funny."

Aang simply shrugged, that impish and boyish smile crawling its way onto his face. "It got you to smile, didn't it?"

Almost immediately, Toph could feel her face heating up. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitating under the warmth of his stare.

_All in your head_ , a voice chimed in with a sneer. _Remember?_

Toph shook her head with a roll of her eyes and looked away. "I'm not hungry anymore." At that, she gathered up her belongings before she stood and made her way out of the cafeteria, leaving behind one confused Aang.

"Toph? Toph!" he called out, his voice full of confusion and just a _touch_ of agitation. "Hey, Toph, wait up!"

Toph merely continued to walk down the hallway that she had entered. She really needed to get away from him-

Suddenly, Aang grabbed her by the arm, spinning her around to look at him. The look on his face could only be described as a mix between bewilderment and frustration, and it almost made her feel bad. His look shifted, his brows softening ever so slightly as he watched her, but it didn't take away from the agitation. "Toph, what the hell is your problem?"

It was very rare for Aang to ever swear. To hear that little cuss word come out of his mouth and in this moment, it was pretty... _sexy_. _He_ was sexy, and it was getting her _hot_. Just then, it hit Toph just how empty that the hallway they were standing in was. It hit her pretty damn _hard_ , and that was mostly because he was somehow managing to look sexy and adorable, both at the same time. He needed to let go of her _now_.

With a swallow, she stomped her foot and glared up at him. "Did I say that you could touch me?"

Aang rolled his eyes, but he released her arm, his gaze growing suspicious once she took a step back. "T., what's going on with you?"

"Are you deaf?" She crossed her arms, pulling them closer to herself. "I just got finished telling you that I'm not hungry anymore."

"Yeah, and I'm the one who had to throw the rest of your sandwich away because you practically ran out of the cafeteria." He raised a foot to take a step forward before he hesitated and set it down, deciding to give her the space that she needed. This was one of the many times that Toph was grateful that they shared a brain. His mouth turned down and into a bit of a frown. "I'm serious, Toph. What's going on? You're acting weird today."

The scoff spat itself out of Toph's mouth before she could stop it. She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling, reclining onto the wall behind her. "That's rich coming from _you._ You've been acting weird for _quite_ some time now, and you have been doing it all with no explanation. How the hell do you think _I_ feel?"

A brow of his jumped. "Oh? Well... Would you like to talk about it? I mean, it's obviously bothering you."

The fact that he didn't even attempt to deny her accusation didn't register in her head. Instead, the fact that he was still standing there and looking really adorable continued to fuel both her confusion and frustration. She stomped a foot, not caring if there were classes being held. It wasn't _her_ fault that they chose to have classes right outside of the hallway that she was having a temper tantrum. "You're damned straight it's bothering me! I'm _really_ upset! Really, really, really upset!"

A corner of his mouth curved up, his eyes sparkling and twinkling with mirth as he took a slow step toward her. Goodness, he looked so good today. "Really, really, really, _really_ upset?"

Toph opened her mouth to answer him. She stopped. "Are you making fun of me?!"

"T., you sound like a baby."

She ignored the smile on his face. Fine. Maybe she did sound like a baby, but she had every right to sound like one. In one swift moment, life had taken her very best friend and turned him into the boy of her dreams.

Toph groaned at the thought.

She pushed herself off of the wall and resumed her walk down the hallway. She didn't have a class to get to, and she didn't even have to use the bathroom. She just needed to get away from _him_ , which was something that she had never needed before. Toph had always needed her best friend.

A tiny frown touched her lips. As if he could sense it, which really wouldn't have been a surprise to her, she heard Aang release a heavy sigh. Either he could sense her turmoil or his patience was running thin. Quite honestly, she was hoping for the latter. Maybe she would get to see him do that _jaw clenching_ thing.

A few, swift footsteps were heard before Aang finally caught up to her. He stepped in front of her, cutting her path off, and surprisingly enough? He didn't look angry at all. He didn't even have that little hint of frustration on his face anymore. Instead, he was fighting off a smile.

Toph took a step forward, glaring up at him. "You think that this is funny? You don't even know what's wrong with me!"

The smile that he had been fighting off escaped, spreading across his handsome face. "That's true," he admitted with a shrug and a short laugh. "But you look so _cute_ when you're frustrated." He stretched a hand toward her face, using the tips of his thumb and index finger to push her eyebrows even further together. "You're doing that eyebrow thing again."

_Oh_ , there he went with that _flirting_ again. Toph pursed her lips as she fought off a smile of her own, her face heating up and burning with embarrassment. "That isn't funny."

"I'm not being funny."

_Hell_.

She jerked her head back, pulling her face away from his touch as her stomach did somersaults. "I'm not telling you anything. I can't."

His face scrunched up quite adorably. "What do you mean you _can't_? I'm your best friend, we tell each other everything. We even talk about your period."

A light giggle slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it and his face brightened. Just a bit. Honestly, he was _way_ too cute for his own good. A few of the doors along the hallway opened, allowing the students to walk free, signifying the end of those classes. She regarded the people around her for a moment before meeting Aang's eyes, and it was pretty obvious that he had not taken his eyes off of her for one second.

Toph set her jaw and swallowed. "I-I can't tell you _yet_."

"Yet?" He hesitated, his brows shifting a bit before he pouted a little. "Well, when's that going to be?"

When was she going to tell him that she had developed a crush on him after sixteen years of friendship and was unsure of whether or not him flirting with her was all in her head? With a roll of her eyes, she resumed walking. "I'll tell you when we get married."

He scoffed and threw an arm around her shoulders, hugging her close. "You might as well just tell me now."

Toph almost shoved him off—almost. But Koko was amongst the mass of students who had just left their classes, just _watching_ the two friends. Actually, she was watching Aang with that possessive look in her eyes.

Affronted, Toph looked up to Aang, who was going off on a tangent about married life and secrets that shouldn't be kept between two people who were destined to marry and be bound for life by their fifty-two children. He was completely unaware of his ex-girlfriend's presence. And, well, Toph couldn't have Koko distracting him from such a _scintillating_ discussion about marriage with _her,_ now could she?

She looked back to Koko, meeting her eyes. There was a bit of a challenge mixed in with that possessiveness in the other woman's eyes.

Nope. Toph couldn't have that at all.

With her eyes locked onto Koko's, she took the tip of her sneaker and stepped on her shoelace, dragging and pulling it loose. She took a step forward, effectively and deliberately tripping herself. It was pathetic, and Toph didn't even believe in fighting other women for some boy. Toph wasn't even sure what the hell was going on with her and Aang, but one thing that she was sure of?

Koko was a threat.

Toph fell into Aang's hold, strong arms wrapping themselves around her to keep her from falling—and it felt _amazing_. Petty wasn't even the word for this. She regarded Koko's red face with a tiny smile before looking to Aang. "Whoops! _Clumsy_ me. Thanks."

"You're welcome," he said with a nod and a smile. He looked down to search the ground. "How did you even- Wait, T., your _shoelace_ is untied. You could have fallen and hurt yourself."

"Are you saying that you wouldn't have caught me?"

"I caught you just now, didn't I?"

At that, he released her and crouched down to tie her shoe, and a smile grew onto her face. _Oh_. As much as she denied her need for it, she really did love it when he worried and fretted over her well-being. Especially if it meant having him tying her shoes in the middle of her school's hallway without being asked—and in front of her mortal enemy.

As Aang busied himself with her shoes and giving her a speech on hallway safety procedures ( _absolutely_ adorable, ugh), Toph looked back to Koko. The other woman's face was still red and furious, and to this Toph could only do one thing: she raised a hand and waved, making her fingers dance delicately in the air as her smile grew.

Koko's eyes narrowed dangerously with promises of certain things could never be pleasant, right before she stomped off.

"...and that's why you need to keep your shoes tied. Because no one wants to end up in the emergency room with their shoelaces wrapped around their bodies. They would be known as the shoelace mummy, and all of the nurses and doctors there would laugh at them, which would be totally embarrassing." Aang patted her foot twice and stood, a triumphant smile on his handsome face. "No more loose shoelaces, T. I might not be there next time to save you."

Toph snorted, pushing past him as she walked off. "As if I need _you_ to save me. Come on, let's get back to work on _Operation: Zutara_. We've been slacking."

Aang draped an arm around her once again, pulling her close and into his space. "Of course, my betrothed."

All she could do was roll her eyes in an effort to keep the blush away.


End file.
